Left Behind
by 2brown-eyes
Summary: "My mommy needs a Hero." Edward returned after four years of being in the Marines to find the girl he sill loves but had left behind in trouble and in need of help. Will Bella allow him to help her and her son? What else will he discover that he has left behind after listening to bad advice from over helpful friend? Cannon couples A/H.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Left Behind**

**Preface:**

"I guess… I just don't understand," she said quietly tears already brimmed in her dark brown eyes. She sat next to me in the grass as a warm spring wind lifted her brown hair, tousling it in the late afternoon breeze.

"It's not that I don't love you. I will always will in a way," I sighed, I reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear like I have often done.

She jerked away from me and glared. My hand fell to my side and I tugged on strands of grass letting the wind take them from my hand.

"Then I will say it again. I don't understand why you're doing this," she stated after a moment of silence.

"I told you I sighed up for the Marines and I leave tomorrow." I closed my eyes wishing this wasn't so hard to do.

"So why does that mean we have to break up?" she demanded.

"Because after I finish training I will probably be shipped out overseas. You will be in collage at U-Dub. We will be far apart for extended periods of time. It's better this way." I explained.

"I still fail to see why this means we have to break up? We can write, e-mail, Skype, and talk on the phone." She insisted not giving up.

"I don't want to. I don't want that. It's time that we both moved on with our lives separately. " I said firmly and possibly too harshly, judging by the heartbroken look in her eyes. Her sad tears quickly changed over to what she called her angry tears. "I will always remember you fondly as my high school sweetheart," I said softer.

"You know what? You're a real jackass!" she fumed. "You bring me to our meadow…the place where you took me on our first date…the place where we first… and then just two day ago we…" She was so angry, she couldn't complete her sentences. "Fuck you, Edward. Fuck you!" she cursed.

My eyes widen slightly since she hardly ever swore. I knew she would be upset, but I still wasn't prepared enough for it.

She got to her feet and started tugging at one of her fingers. She yanked the glittering ring off her finger and chucked it at the spot in the grass between my legs. "I guess that was all just a lie then."

I looked down at the promise ring I had given her on her birthday not even a year ago.

"_Please, love, it's a symbol of my promise to you that I plan on loving you forever." I told her._

_She blushed slightly and bit her lip adorably. _

"_Forever is a long time," she commented lightly, looking at me for reassurance. She pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. She held out her hand to admire the sapphire ring sparkling on her finger. _

_I grabbed her hand and gave it a small kiss. "Not long enough," I smiled and kissed her lips. _

I picked up the delicate circle, holding it between my thumb and forefinger. I had chosen a sapphire since it was her birthstone. At the time I had meant everything that I told her.

When I looked up she was gone. I glanced quickly around the meadow and found myself alone. I hurried to my feet, rushing to follow her. I ran through the tree line, pausing so my eyes could adjust to the shade. I hurried forward and was relieved to find her not too far ahead. She was running and stumbling along, I continued to follow. I figured she hated me by now so I let her stay ahead, but watched to make sure she got out okay.

She wasted no time getting into her rundown truck, starting it with a loud roar. She glanced at me and our eyes locked for a moment. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red rimmed and she was biting her lower lip.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed.

She shook her head as tears started to fall again and she drove off leaving me in a cloud of dust.

I sighed heavily and opened my clenched hand to reveal the ring. It was so small that it wouldn't fit past my knuckle on my pinkie. With a heavy heart, I placed it in the breast pocket of my shirt.

I heard my phone ring from inside my Volvo. I had left it there earlier so we wouldn't be disturbed. I yanked my door opened and grabbed the phone off the console.

"Yeah?" I answered sitting down roughly behind the wheel.

"Did you do it?" My best friend asked immediately.

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago. She just left." I admitted.

"You did the right thing for both of you. Best thing I did was letting Rose go. Trust me. We are saving them and us from a bad ending." He reassured me.

"I don't know, man. This feels so wrong. I think I made a mistake." I hit the steering wheel with my fist. I wanted to go after her to apologize and promise that we could try. I doubt I would find anyone better than her.

"No, a mistake would be continuing it. If you think you're hurting now just think how hurt you would be when you get a 'Dear John," letter when she meets someone new since you're not there."

"She would never cheat on me," I snapped at him irritably.

"Maybe not. But what happens if you're killed in the line of duty. Think of what that would do to her." I frowned, because that was how he had convinced me to break-up before we left.

"You're right," I sighed.

"Of course, I am. Don't worry about it, Ed, my man, by this time next week you will be swimming in honeys that dig a man in uniform." He laughed boisterously.

"I'm not into that sort of thing." I shook my head. I didn't like the idea of one night stands just to get some. The times I spent making love to her were special, not something to do because I couldn't keep it in my pants. "Have you heard from Jasper?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yup, that guy is just as bad as you. Though you might have fared better. Alice gave him a black eye and then sacked him in the nuts. Who knew the pixie could pack a punch?" he snickered. "We should go out tonight and celebrate before we leave tomorrow."

"Count me out. My parents want me at home and beside I don't feel like celebrating anything. I'll see you tomorrow at the bus stop," I informed him and hanging up before he could complain about me being a stick in the mud.

I held the phone in my hand and stared at her number. All I had to do was hit one button and I would call her.

_She walked into Biology class and I felt as if the world turned on its axis. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen, she also appeared to be shy. I could tell right away she was different from all the other girls — that she was special._

_The teacher directed her towards where I was sitting. I moved my things over so she would have some space. She sat down and her brown eyes appeared nervous as they locked with my own. ._

"_Hi, I'm Edward Cullen." I held my hand out to her. She brushed her brown hair over her shoulder before she extended her hand._

"_Bella Swan." She blushed as she slipped her small hand into mine._

I was hooked from the moment I laid eyes on her. Now she was gone.  
I tossed my phone in the passenger seat before driving home for the last time before I left.

**A/N: **

**It has been awhile since my last story. I first tried to expand my one-shots and wasn't getting anywhere. However, this story started speaking to me. **

**I know that this wasn't the happiest way to start out a story. Things may be rough for a while, but like each story I wrote before, I believe in Happy Endings. Next chapter is a four year time jump. **

**I will post the next chapter tomorrow after that it will be weekly postings (Fri.).**

**Note: this story will contain some abuse/violence (nothing too graphic), so please be aware. **

**Thank You For All Reviews!**

**LB  
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**Preview alert**

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**Preview:**

"**Bella?" Jasper called out. She dropped the lettuce, turning sharply in his direction. She looked surprised and almost panicked to see him. She recovered quickly plastering a smile on her face. **

"**Jasper, it has been a long time." She said softly picking the lettuce and placing it in the cart. **

"**Four years. We just got back to the states and out of the service. We are traveling some before we decide what to do next." He pushed our cart until it was right next to hers.**

"**We?" she questioned, she glanced around him and spotted me. The smile on her face dropped and a frown appeared. Her eyes flickered from anger, sadness and panic before she wiped all emotion from them.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch. 1 **

**Phoenix, AZ., 2008 (4 years later.)**

I stepped out of the SUV and stretched in the hot dry air. My friends and I had been out of the service for a little over a week. We decided to take a bit of road trip before finding a place to settle down and find a new job.

Our first stop was Jasper's old hometown in Houston, Texas to visit his parents and his grandparents. His parents retired early and decided to move back to Texas. We spent a couple days with them before moving on. Emmett wanted to head to L.A. so that was where we were headed next.

Out of habit, I surveyed the surroundings, I adjusted my hat to shade my eyes from the bright sun. We had stopped in Phoenix for a break and to pick up snacks. The market was small but bigger than in Forks. The cracked, sandy paved parking lot was about half-full.

"What do you guys think about stopping here for tonight? I bet we can find a local club swimming with the ladies who would love a man in uniform." Emmett grinned, pointing out three blonde girls walking into the store.

They were wearing short shorts and tiny tank tops. To tell the truth they didn't to entice me. I still preferred brunettes, more specifically a certain brunette.

"I'm up for a club, but I'm not going in uniform." Jasper answered with a shake of his head.

"If I have to go, I'm not getting into uniform either." I answered.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "You two need to get laid. Seriously, when was the last time you got some?"

We started walking toward the entrance.

"Fuck off," Jasper snapped as he grabbed a cart, testing the wheels before pushing it ahead.

I on the other hand ignored him and grabbed a bag of pretzels, from a display.

"Edster?"

I cringed at the nickname. I turned to scowl at him and he just grinned back at me.

"Don't call me that." I tossed the bag to Jasper, who placed it in the cart.

"Then answer the question." Emmett rolled his eyes grabbing two bags of Chex's mix.

"It's not really any of your business." I huffed.

"Dudes, when are you both going to get over them? It has been four years." Emmett groaned as if we were hurting him.

"Sorry, we aren't like you and are able to lay with anything that has breasts and a pulse," Jasper said sarcastically.

"Ouch, that almost hurt. Not my fault they all want a piece of this." He slapped his chest. "I'm going to get some brewskies." He walked off.

"Get water too," I yelled after him, I shook my head and watched him walking away.

"When did he get this way? He wasn't like this in high school." I complained to Jasper as we made our way to Produce.

"Back then Rosalie had him by the balls," Jasper snickered. He paused by the apples grabbed a bag and tossed a few inside.

I grabbed a few oranges, placing them in another bag. I was just placing it in the cart when Jasper elbowed me.

"Is that who I think it is?" he asked. I glanced up, spotting immediately who he was talking about by the heads of lettuce.

Her hair was longer but still a wavy, dark mahogany brown. She looked paler and possibly thinner. It was hard to tell since her clothes were slightly baggy. She wore a long sleeves black shirt and long black skirt that went to her ankles.

To me she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

"Bella?" Jasper called out. She dropped the lettuce, turning sharply in his direction. She looked surprised and almost panicked to see him. She recovered quickly plastering a smile on her face.

"Jasper, it has been a long time." She said softly picking the lettuce and placing it in the cart.

"Four years. We just got back to the states and out of the service. We are traveling some before we decide what to do next." He pushed our cart until it was right next to hers.

"We?" she questioned, she glanced around him and spotted me. The smile on her face dropped and a frown appeared. Her eyes flickered from anger, sadness and panic, before she wiped all emotion from them.

"Hi, Bella," I smiled weakly. I could tell she still hated me. I knew it was a far-fetched chance but I was hoping that I would be able to track her down and beg her for another chance. Not a day has gone by that I didn't regret that day in the meadow. I wished I never had listened to Emmett or let my fears get to me.

"Hi," she answered in a clipped tone.

"I though you would still be up at U-Dub. That was where you were planning to go, right?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Plans changed." Bella shrugged, not elaborating. She glanced around for something, biting her lip like she always did when she was worried. She tugged on the sleeve of her shirt uncomfortably.

"How's Alice?" Jasper asked eagerly.

I knew he was still love with Mary Alice Brandon as I was with Bella.

"I'm afraid I don't know. We aren't in touch any more. Last I heard, she was still in New York," Bella answered apologetically, shrugging her shoulders.

"One too many shopping trips?" I tried to joke but it came out horrible.

"Um…" Bella trailed off, her eyes widened slightly again as she spotted something behind me. She let go of her sleeve and grasped the cart until her knuckles turned white.

Before I could turn and look I was bumped in the shoulder hard as someone moved past me. The guy was shorter than me with a leaner built. He was wearing a dark colored suit that screamed that he had money. His blond hair was slicked back with oil and he had piercing blue eyes that were slightly blood shot.

He walked up to Bella and slung his arm over her shoulder, she flinched and stiffened. Bella's eyes dropped to the floor, my heart and stomach followed as worry sunk in. My mind went on high alert because Bella has always has been shy, but not to this extent. She was acting as if she was intimidated and I didn't like that one bit. Who was this guy?

"Isabella, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" He made it sound like he was asking, but I could tell immediately from his demeanor it was more of a command than a question.

Bella shook slightly, and he clenched her shoulder tightly. He caught my eye and loosened the hold slightly, but didn't let go. Out the corner of my eye I saw that Jasper had switched from friendly mode to Marine mode instantaneously. He picked up that something was wrong too.

"This is Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks. I went to high school with them. They were just saying hello," Bella said nervously.

Her lying about our names only made me more suspicious. Was Bella in trouble? If this creep has been abusing her, he was good as dead.

"Alec Volturi, Isabella's fiancé," he smirked at the two of us.

I glanced at Bella's finger to see an ostentatious, ugly looking ring on her finger. The Bella I knew would've hated something like that, she would never want something so flashy.

"Please to meet you. I hope you're taking good care of our friend." Jasper had a cold smile on his face.

"I give Isabella only the best. Don't I, dear?" Alec met Jasper's eyes, before giving Bella a slight squeeze. Bella's eyes tightened before answering.

"Yes, of course you do," Bella answered meekly. She didn't meet mine or Jasper's eyes, but looked down to our feet. I knew she was lying through her teeth.

I was about half-second from punching this joker's in the face and getting Bella the hell out of here.

"We should be on our way. Our son is waiting for us." Alec pulled the cart away from Bella.

She had been leaning on it, so when he moved it, she stumbled. I reached to grab her to keep her from falling, but she pulled away from me sharply. I felt a sting of rejection. She didn't want me to help her.

"Have a nice trip." Bella gave us half of wave with a forced smile before she hurried after Alec.

I immediately tried to follow and Jasper grabbed my elbow.

"Bad idea." He insisted speaking lowly.

I wrenched myself free of him and started around him. I couldn't shake the feeling that Bella was in trouble.

"Edward, don't. I'm serious. You need to cool down before you do anything rash. You could make things worse not better. I'll follow them and give Peter a call to see if he can look up this guy," Jasper promised.

I sighed heavily and nodded in agreement. Jasper moved quickly after them.

"Where's he going? And what's wrong with you?" Emmett came up from behind me. He was carrying a case of beer and another case of water bottles. He placed both in the cart. "Hello, Edward? What's going on?" Emmett waved a hand in front of my face.

"We just ran into Bella." I told him, pushing his hand away.

His face appeared shocked and he looked around to see if she was still here. "Really? Where is she?" he asked, glancing back at me.

"She just left with her fiancé," I scowled.

He tried to pat me on the back but I shook him off.

"Sorry, man, but you had to know that it would happen. At least you can move on now that you know that she's happy. I found three honeys that…"

I cut him off. "That's the thing, Em. She's not happy. He's hurting her, I know it." I growled.

The smile dropped from Emmett's face and he grew serious. "You saw him hit her?" he glowered.

"No, he didn't exactly hit her. As soon as he touch her shoulder she flinched and looked uncomfortable."

Emmett furrowed his eyes and he ran a hand through his hair. "Did she tell you that he hits her?" he asked. I shook my head. "Not verbally, but both their actions spoke volumes."

"Edward, are you sure about this? Are you sure you're not jealous and want an excuse to run to her rescue? Her reaction could be just seeing an old boyfriend again." Emmett said in quiet tone.

"No, I know what I saw. I'm not the only one who thinks it. Jasper saw it too. He's followed them and is giving Peter a call. It also doesn't explain why she introduced as Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks," I growled.

"Alright, let's check out then go find Jasper and see if he found out anything." Emmett agreed in defeat, but still didn't seem to believe me.

Since I had met her, Bella had always seemed to attract male attention, whether she wanted it or not.

_Bella had been in Forks for about a month, and in that time she had a group of boys that dogged her every step. The worse of the bunch was Michael Newton. _

_It was the end of school and I was waiting for her by her locker to return some notes to her. I missed Biology the day before due to an appointment and I had borrowed them to catch up. She approached with Newton walking next to her talking about what he talks best — about himself. _

"_So, Bella, I'll pick you up at seven on Friday?" he tossed me a smirk. _

_I rolled my eyes. I was sure Bella was going to shut him down. Or at least I hoped she did._

"_I can't." Bella stated. "Can I have my books back, please?" She reached for the books that Newton was carrying. _

_He raised them out of her reach. "Not until you agree to go out with me, babe." I suppose his smile was supposed to be charming but instead he came off looking like a jerk. _

_I grabbed the books from him, which was easy to do since I was taller than him by several inches. His head snapped to me and he scowled. I tucked the books under my arm and just smiled innocently._

"_Sorry to disappoint you, Newton. But we have plans for Friday." _

_His head snapped back to Bella who was now blushing bright red. I winked at her behind his back._

"_Well, then how about Saturday night?" he demanded. _

"_Ahhh…" Bella started and suddenly Alice was by her side.  
"She can't, she's having a slumber party with me and Rose." Alice bounced excitedly._

"_We feel if it is our duty to inform Bella of the boys of this school. Like how you're about this big." Rose smirked holding up her pinky as she came to Bella's other side._

"_That's a lie," Newton hissed turning red._

"_Not according to Jessica Stanley. She said sucking on a straw from McDonalds was better than you." Rose smiled evilly._

"_You, Bitch!" Newton snarled. _

_A large hand came down on his shoulder. "What did you just call my girl?" Emmett growled. _

_Newton glanced at him then stumbled backwards into Jasper.  
"Watch it," Newton bellowed as he turned around only to cower away again. _

_Jasper had said nothing but just silently stared back at him. Jasper wasn't as big as Emmett, but his presence could be just as intimidating when he looked defensive or pissed. _

"_Bella, call me when you get tired of these losers." Newton walked away in a huff._

"_So I'm Alice, the bitch is Rose, but only friends are allowed to call her that. The ox there is Emmett. And the strong silent one is my… I mean he's Jasper." Alice blushed slightly._

"_Nice to meet you. Thank you for your help." Bella smiled shyly. _

"_So will you come Saturday, please?" Alice batted her eyes and pouted. _

_Bella looked hesitant as she bit her lip. "Sure," she finally agreed with a smile. Alice's face lit up with a smile. _

"_Yay! I live on Elm. It's the only pink house. Arrive about six and bring your favorite movie." With that she skipped away with the others trailing after her. _

_Bella watched her with an amused smirk._

"_So that was Alice. You will soon learn that she has more energy than a nuclear reactor," I joked. _

_She laughed as she opened her locker.  
"Your books and your notes." I held out her stuff. I slung my backpack back over one shoulder._

"_Thank you and thank you for helping with Mike. No matter how I say it, he doesn't get it that I'm not interested." She took the books and notes from me. The books she placed in her locker and she pulled out a three ringed binder to place her notes in._

"_No problem. I was happy to help." I nodded. "Say, maybe we can do something Friday so it doesn't look like you lied to Mike." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I've wanted to ask her out, but I heard her say she didn't date, so I didn't want to seem like I was just like the others._

"_You want to go out on a date?" Bella paused. She pulled her lower lip in her mouth biting it and her eyes grew big._

"_Forget it, I don't know what I was thinking. I know you've said you don't date. Sorry." I started backing away as I spoke then turned to leave._

"_Edward," she called._

_I looked over my shoulder. _

"_Yes." She smiled shyly, blushing._

"_Yes?" I questioned in case I didn't hear her right. I turned around and my backpack slipped down my back slightly._

"_Yes." She nodded. _

**LB**

I impatiently waited as we went through the slow checkout line. With the annoyed looks I was getting from Emmett, I'm sure I was getting on his nerves.

Once out of the store, I spotted Jasper leaning against the trunk of our car. He was smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone. He had sunglasses covering his eyes so I couldn't see his eyes.

I hurried ahead of Emmett to get to see if he found anything out. He hung up when he spotted me. He slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to face me. His face looked grim, which couldn't mean anything good.

"Well?" I asked irritably.

"I followed them until they got into their car and left. I just finished talking to Peter. He should hopefully get back to me soon." Jasper answered in a curt voice. He seemed to be more upset than before.

"So you think this Alec guy is hurting Bella too?" Emmett reached us with the cart.

"I don't think. I know so. He practically shoved her into the car and slammed the car on her leg before she could get it completely in. When she cried out, he called her a bitch." Jasper answered coldly.

"And you just let them drive off?" I growled, Emmett placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you think I wanted too? It took everything in me not to level the guy, but I had to consider the baby, too. Until we knew that he was safe, I didn't think it was smart to chance a confrontation. In order for him to be arrested, Bella would have to place charges." Jasper was exasperated. "Even if I succeed of getting Bella away from him, he could go after the baby in anger before the police could catch up to him."

"Fuck," I mumbled because he was right.

"There's a baby too," Emmett's eyes darkened.

"He said they had a son." Jasper nodded, he was looking at me for my reaction.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I knew Bella's first priority would be the baby over herself. We had to get them both away from this guy.

"Edward, I promise. We won't leave here until we know that she and the baby are safe. Maybe we can approach her when he isn't there and convince her to let us escort her and the baby to Charlie." Jasper removed his sunglasses and met my eyes.

I nodded and took a deep breath. "I know that you're right. I'm sorry. Just the thought of anyone hurting her..." I pulled off my hat and roughly tugged at my hair.

"I get it." Jasper gave me a small smile in sympathy. He glanced over at Emmett.

"Emmett, you're in, right?" Jasper asked.

Emmett's arms were crossed over his chest and his mouth was in a thin line. He was staring at something over the horizon.

"Emmett," I called, nudging him. His head jerked and he snapped it back to us.

"Is he hurting the baby too?" his eyes were hard and cold.

"Not sure." I shrugged, feeling slightly cold inside. If he was hitting his fiancée what would stop him from hurting a baby? I was already ready to kill him for laying a hand on Bella, but if he brought that abuse to innocent baby; there would nothing and no one that would be able to save him from me.

"I'll kill him." Emmett muttered menacingly.

"The best thing would be to get Bella and the baby safe, even if we want to kill him. We have to be smart about this." Jasper smirked darkly, but was the voice of reason.

"Right, mission save BB." Emmett nodded, cooling his temper slightly.

Jasper's phone rang and he pulled it out. "That was quick." He mumbled opening and pulling it to his ear.

Too quick. The look on Jasper's face told me that I was right.

"Let's get this loaded while he's on the phone." Emmett suggested.

Jasper stepped aside so we could open the back of the SUV. We opened the coolers that we had filled with ice before we got to the market.

We placed the beer and water in one and the fruit in the other.

"Maybe we should get milk or juice for the baby?" Emmett closed the lid and looked back to the store.

"We should wait. He might have allergies or might be too young. We don't know how old the baby is." I answered thoughtfully.

I closed the door as Emmett returned the cart. Jasper finished speaking on the phone and pocketed his cellphone. I tried to catch his eye, but he avoided eye contact. He waited until Emmett was back before speaking.

"I got an address and from what Peter could tell me about Alec wasn't very good. Seems Alec is a suspected drug dealer. I say suspected because no one has been able to prove that he is guilty. He is the son of Aro Voturi, the suspected leader of a drug ring in New York. Uncle Caius was arrested and is serving time for selling meth.

His twin sister Jane has been locked up in an asylum for a killing an ex-boyfriend. She pleaded insanity. The police had found her ex-boyfriend in a hot tub fried from a plugged-in radio that she had tossed in. She was writing satanic symbols in chalk on the ground near-by, mumbling to herself." Jasper paused.

"How did Bella get involved with him? Why didn't Charlie put a stop to it?" I hissed.

"There is more." Jasper sighed reluctantly. "Alec was a suspect in Chief Charlie Swan's murder. There was a home invasion three years ago. Charlie was shot and killed in his home. At the time of the invasion Bella was visiting with her infant son. Investigators couldn't find proof that it was Alec, however, they did find a Santiago Diego, with the gun involved in Port Angeles. Coincidently, Santiago is believed to have worked for the Volturi family, but he hasn't talked."

"Santiago Diego?" Emmett snickered at the name, until both Jasper and I both gave him unimpressed look. "But seriously though, why would Bella stay with someone that killed Charlie?"

"She's probably scared and terrified. He most likely threatened to take the baby from her. She might not have had anywhere else to turn to. I know her enough that she would've been too worried to turn to anyone else for help. It may explain why she didn't give him our right names. " I frowned sadly, she was protecting Jasper and me. "This could be more dangerous than what we've thought. I'm going to do whatever it takes to rescue her and her son, but I don't expect either of you to involve yourselves. So if you want to back out, now is the time to do so."

"Not a chance in hell. I'm in. I would never rest easy, backing out when she needed help." Jasper shook his head in determination.

"Count me in. Bells needs us, so I'm not going to back out either." Emmett nodded. He spotted something behind us and frowned slightly. "Shit, I forgot about them."

I turned to see the same three ladies that entered the store before us heading in our direction. Their hips were swaying and each carried one bag.

"Tanya, Kate, and Irina. Ladies, I'm afraid, I'm going have to disappoint you. We had a change of plans." Emmett smiled apologetically.

"Such a shame, sure we can't change your mind handsome." The tallest one with strawberry blonde hair came up close to me. She brushed her fingers against my bicep and pushed her breasts up trying to get me to look at them. I kept eye contact and tried not visibly shudder.

"Sorry, something came up." I shook my head.

She pouted and reached down into her shirt. She pulled out a small, white card and tried to hand it to me.  
"In case you change your mind?' she purred holding it out.

"We're leaving the area tonight." I made no move to take the card.

She shoved the card into my side pocket of my shorts.

"I insist." She turned and walked away; the other two girls followed behind her.

I shuddered in disgust as the other two snickered. Why was it always me?

"We should get going and see if we can find this place? Hopefully, we will get a chance to approach her." Jasper clasped me on the shoulder.

"Please, the sooner we are out of Phoenix the better." I slipped into the passenger seat as Jasper got into the driver's seat and Emmett the back. I pulled my dog tags out from under my shirt and glanced at Bella's ring. I had kept the ring with me when I was overseas, I couldn't wear it on my dog tags then, but I kept it on me whenever I could — in a pocket or close to me. I held it making a silent promise that once she was safe that I was going to make her mine again, because I was still hers. I would be anything she wanted me to be to her son too. I would do my best to love him, because he was a part of her.

**A/N:  
So they're pretty sure that Bella is in abusive relationship. Why hasn't she escaped from it, especially since she has son involved? They're guessing it is because Alec had something to do with Charlie's death and she is too scared to try to leave again. Alec is involved with some pretty shady stuff as you heard. **

**You will hear from Bella next to get some answers. **

**Thank You For All Reviews!**

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LB**

**Preview:**

"**You're coming with us, Bella, whether you like it or not. I don't want to do the hard way, but I will throw you over my shoulder myself and get you out of here. I rather you come willingly. But you aren't staying here." Emmett stated firmly. **

"**He will just come after us and kill the three of you." I shook my head.**

"**Let the mother fucker try. In fact, I welcome it. If he comes anywhere near you or that little boy I will kill him first. But I'm not going down without a fight and neither should you." Emmett smirked with confidence something that had been beaten out of me a while ago. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch. 2:**

**(BPOV)**

It had been four long years that since I last saw him and he shattered my heart into pieces. He was still as handsome as ever. Being in the Marines had changed the young boy that I fell in love with and turned him into a strong man.

The car screeched to a stop, and I felt Alec's glaring eyes on me. I knew he was angry because I talked to Jasper and Edward in the market. A big slight on my part.

"Hurry up, I have to be somewhere tonight," he snapped at me, fury still burned in his eyes.

I was surprised he hadn't snapped yet; but then he did usually wait until we were alone and being outside there could be a lot of witnesses.

I stumbled out the door and moved toward the back to get the bags. My leg hurt like a bitch from where he slammed the door on it. Alec briefly looked at the house, the curtains moved from someone noticing our arrival home. He grabbed two of the bags from me, so I grabbed the other two. I walked behind him to the house; the door opened when we got there.

"You're back," our neighbor, Mrs. Cope, greeted us. She was a widow that lived across the street. She often came over to watch my son for me when I had to go out. She was one of the few people Alec trusted to leave him with.

"How is he?" I asked, shifting the bags in my arms.

Alec had taken the lighter ones, leaving me with the heavier ones and went straight to the kitchen, ignoring Mrs. Cope.

"He's doing fine, dear. Resting on the couch. I tried to get him to take a nap but he fought it," she reassured me.

He had woken up this morning with a cough and was sneezing. I didn't want to take him to the store so she watched him for me. I knew he was cranky when he wasn't feeling well and Alec would've been short tempered with him.

"Is your leg okay, it looked like you were limping." She glanced down at my feet.

I shifted nervously. "Just twisted it a bit in a clumsy moment. Thank you for watching him." I thanked her, half hoping she would stay, but knowing if she did, Alec would just get more upset.

"He's a dear. Let me know if you need anything." She smiled and waved before walking across the street.

I shut the door and peaked in on my little redhead boy, who was engrossed in watching _Go Diego, Go! _while lying on the couch with a pillow and a blanket. He held his stuffed frog tight to him.

I entered the kitchen to find Alec waiting with his arms crossed and he looked upset. On the counter was an open bottle of Whiskey an empty used glass next to it.

"Took you long enough. Put everything away then I want to talk to you." He hissed, his eyes narrowed.

'Talk' was code for 'I'm going to beat you then leave for a while and get drunk'. He poured another glass of Whiskey and downed it.

I moved about the kitchen quickly, knowing that if I prolonged it, the worse it would be. After a few minutes the last item was on its shelf and the last bag was folded. I stood up after, placing the bag away and a hand grasped my wrist hard.

"You have some explaining to do. Why were you flirting with those men in the store?" he snarled. He pushed my back against a cabinet until I could feel the metal handle, painfully cut into the skin.

"I wasn't flirting," I stupidly responded.

I felt the sting as he backhanded me and I whimpered.

"Don't lie to me." he growled, nearly spitting in my face.

"I swear, they just wanted to say hi. Tyler asked about an old girlfriend of his. That's it before you approached. I swear it," I lied.

He raised his hand and then he lowered it. "And the other? Austin was it?" He questioned.

I was glad that he bought it and he didn't realize who it really was.

"He only said hi, nothing else," my voice shook.

"You're sure?" he interrogated.

I nodded not trusting my voice. I didn't want him to know that it was Edward. I know what Alec did to Charlie. If he knew that it was Edward, he would try to kill him too. Jasper was an innocent bystander. Alec wouldn't hesitate to kill him as well.

"You better be." He came so close that our noses were practically touching. His breath stunk of whiskey. "Remember if you ever try to leave again, I won't only kill you but your son too. I'll make you watch as I torture him to a slow painful death," he threatened.

"Don't touch him, he's just a baby," I begged.

He pulled back his hand and smacked me across the face again, I tasted blood from my cut lip. Shocked that he hit my face for a second time. Usually, he avoided the face so no one saw his handy work.

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do, bitch?" he spat in my face. He grabbed my chin roughly and tsked."Now look what you made me do? I guess that you will have to stay inside where no one can see you until it's healed. Tomorrow I have to leave for a week for work and I don't want you getting any silly ideas about running away. You remember what happened the first time you ran from me." He let go of my chin and stepped away. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the kitchen.

A moment later, I heard the front door slam. He left like he always did after beating me. He would show back up later tonight drunk off his ass and pass out.

I slid down to the floor and took a few breaths to collect myself. I couldn't keep living like this but I couldn't see a way out. I was terrified one day Alec would go too far and kill me and then my son would be left in his hands.

**LB**

I dragged myself to my feet and to the sink. I wet a piece of paper towel from the kitchen sink and washed my face.

"Mommy, who's that?" I whirled around to see that Masen had joined me in the kitchen. He was staring at the patio door intently with curious expression. I turned to see what he was talking about and saw a figure pressed up the glass. He was shading his eyes to see in and I could see him staring at my son, with the same expression on his face as his tiny replica. My heart clenched in my chest when everything registered.

Shit, what was he doing here? He had to leave before Alec saw him.

"Masen, go back to the living room," I told him.

"But I'm thirsty," He pouted and whined slightly.

"I'll bring you some juice in a minute. Please do as I say." He finally nodded and turned and walk out of the room.

I turned back to the door when there was a knock.

"Bella, open the door." Edward called through the glass, his voice was slightly muffled.

"No, I don't what you are doing here, but you need to leave. I don't want to talk to you." I stayed in the shadows of the kitchen, but I knew he could hear me.

He looked frustrated and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm not leaving until you open the door and talk to us." He looked to the area where I was standing. He squinted his eyes like he was trying to find me.

"There is nothing to talk about." I retorted crossing my arms in front of me.

"I think there is. Starting with how that little boy looks exactly like I did at his age. Is he my son?" Edward looked upset now.

But not as much as I was.

I stormed up to the door and yanked it open to face him. I had to look up to glare at him. "To be your son you would have to be involved with his life." I snapped at him.

"How can I be involved if you never told me?" He snapped back.

"I tried to tell you. Maybe if you opened any of the letters I sent you, rather than wrote 'return to sender' on it you would know. So don't tell me that I didn't. I sent a letter when I first found out. Then a second a month later when the first returned. Then another about halfway through, when I found out he was a boy. Then the last one when he was born." I fought my tears. How much rejection was I supposed to take from him?

"I never got any letters." Edward's anger changed to confusion and sadness.

"Well someone wrote 'return to sender' on them." I scowled.

"If you wrote me a letter I would've opened and read it." He insisted his eyes looked sad. I wanted to believe him but the writing looked too much like his.

He looked at my face and frowned before looking even more upset. "Did he do this?"

He raised his hand and brushed my cheek, I flinched away. He sucked in his breath sharply and dropped his hand.

"It's nothing. I'm still very clumsy." I mumbled the excuse out of habit and he narrowed his eyes.

"Don't call it nothing. Apparently you haven't looked in a mirror or you would be able to see the handprint." He retorted.

I chewed on my lip nervously and looked away from him. I felt him grab my hand, the sparks that ignited threw me off for a moment so I didn't pull away before he pushed up my sleeve to reveal more bruises.

"Fucking asshole!" someone else cursed.

I pulled away from Edward, clutching my arm to my chest and looked up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see that Emmett was with them. His eyes was homed in on the bruises on my arm. I pushed the sleeve back down.

"You guys really need to leave, before he gets back," I pleaded.

The three of them shook their heads.

"Not going to happen," Jasper answered me, his eyes were stern, they softened slightly when I made eye contact.

"You'll just make things worst, not better," I begged.

"We aren't leaving. At least not without you or my…our son," Edward's voice was softer, almost begging.

"I can't…" I started as tears threatened my eyes.

"Just let us in for a minute and hear us out." Jasper suggested.

I sighed and stepped out of the way. They stepped in, I automatically stepped further away from Edward.

"Bella, you have to understand there's no way we can just walk away from this. You're smarter than this. You know this won't end well," Jasper stated softly.

I knew that he was right, but still I couldn't risk Masen's safety.

"Does he hurt…" Edward paused looking frustrated, "I don't even know my own son's name." he mumbled.

I suddenly felt slightly sorry for him. But if he had opened the damn letters I sent he would know.

"It's Masen." I answered, realizing he would know that I gave our son his second middle name. "And no Alec hasn't laid a hand on him. In fact, he barely looks at him let alone touches him. He hasn't even held Masen since he was about two months old. But if I leave he has promised to kill him." I felt myself start to tremble so I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Which is why we need to get you both out of here before he does," Jasper said firmly but still gently.

"Didn't you just hear me, it's not that simple? If I leave, he will kill him. It isn't like I haven't tried to leave before. I did try to leave after the very first time he hit me. Alec tracked me down and…." I choked back a sob.

Edward reached out for me and I recoiled back from him.

"We know what happened to Charlie. I'm so very sorry that you lost him, but please don't let that stop you from trying to get away again. We are three trained Marines and we have resources that Charlie didn't. Please let us help you." Edward pushed.

I closed my eyes trying to think. I reopened about to say one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

"Then take Masen and get out of here. He doesn't care for him and won't care if he is gone. You're his father, take him somewhere. Keep him safe and give him a happy life," I pleaded with tears in my eyes. Saying good-bye to Masen would be hard, but knowing he would be in a better place would make it worth it.

"No, Mommy. I don't want to go without you. Don't make me."

My heart thudded unevenly when I heard my baby's desperate cry. I turned to see him in the doorway. His lower lip was trembling and he was about to cry.

"Masen, please go back into the other room. I will be there in a moment," I told him.

He glared defiantly looking so much like his father for a moment, before he stomped off.

Tears flowed freely now down my face as I furiously tried to brush them away.

"Bella," Edward spoke softly, I felt his hands touch my shoulders and I jumped and my heart thudded unevenly.

"Don't." I pulled away, breathing in sharply.

He dropped his hand, the look on his face was devastating and his eyes brimmed with emotion. He turned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Since when does he care about me?

"Bells," Emmett spoke up for the first time, which was surprising since he was never the quiet type.

I looked at him and the smiling happy go lucky boy I knew from high school was no longer there.

He gave me a stern look that reminded me almost of Charlie. "I hate how this is going to sound, because the last the thing you need is to feel bullied by anyone else. I understand that you're scared, but you can't stay here. Even if we take Masen this guy Alec is going to kill you one day."

"Emmett," Jasper hissed at him.

"I know that. That's why I want Masen safe," I snapped angrily.

"You're coming with us, Bella, whether you like it or not. I don't want to do this the hard way, but I will throw you over my shoulder myself to get you out of here. I'd rather you come willingly. But you aren't staying here," Emmett stated firmly.

"He will just come after us and kill the three of you." I shook my head.

"Let the mother fucker try. In fact, I welcome it. If he comes anywhere near you or that little boy, I will kill him first. But I'm not going down without a fight and neither should you." Emmett smirked with confidence, something that had been beating out of me a while ago.

"We can't leave…"

The three of them opened their mouths to argue. I held up my hand for them to wait. "We can't leave tonight. He will be back in a few hours. If he realizes we are gone, he will be after us right away. He leaves tomorrow morning on a business trip and will be gone for a week. It will give us a head start." I gave in.

Emmett was right. I had to try for Masen. Two of the three of them looked relieved. However, Edward still looked apprehensive.

"What about when he come back tonight?" he asked looking concerned.

"Nothing. He will return drunk off his ass and pass out." I shrugged. "Besides if we are leaving we are going to need things, I doubt you have for Masen."

"Just get us a list and we will make sure we have it by tomorrow." Jasper pulled out a small cellphone.

"This is a small pay as you go phone. It will be untraceable so give us a call at this number when he leaves." Jasper handed it and a slip of paper to me. I nodded and slipped them into my bra for now. "I noticed security cameras. Does Alec go through a company or does he keep track himself?"

"Himself," I answered. Jasper pulled out his phone and started typing.

"I'm going to get Peter on it. He's a good friend of mine, I trust him completely. We will hack in and loop old tapes or something so he doesn't know that we were here or that you're both gone," He explained as he looked at the screen.

"You can do that?" I raised an eyebrow impressed.

He nodded giving me a smile before turning back to his screen.

"I'll be back. I promised Masen some juice and I should talk to him." I turned and limped to the fridge.

"Bella, can I please take a look at that. Jasper said he saw him slam your leg in the door," Edward spoke up.

I cringed inwardly. Alec had become sloppier than I thought.  
"Can it be after I get him some juice?" I pulled out the apple juice and put it on the counter.

"I'll bring it to him, if that's okay." Emmett offered.

I hesitated since Masen could be shy especially around males. Emmett's size would also work against him. Plus, he was already upset and I should explain things better to him.

"I don't know. He's already upset." I reached for Alec's Mickey cup and filled it with juice then screwed on the lid.

"Trust me. I get along great with kids. Me and Elmo are like this." He held up crossed fingers.

I smirked and handed him the glass. "He's not a big fan of Elmo. He prefers Grover," I told him.

"I can hang with Grover." Emmett smiled confidently. Apparently, he hadn't changed too much from high school. He headed for the door that Masen stomped out of.

"Emmett, remember he's only three." I called after him.

"I told you I got this," he called over his shoulder.

I sighed before I hobbled over to the barstool next to the kitchen counter. I hopped up and waited. Edward knelt in front of me and gently pulled my right leg towards him. He pushed up the skirt about mid-calf.

Just above the ankle a bruise was forming and it was swollen. I hissed when Edward started to prod at it. He mumbled and apology and started to rotate my foot. I winced in pain. I knew from enough experience that it wasn't broken, but it was going to hurt like hell for a while.

"Damn," Jasper muttered looking over from his phone. He came over and took a few photos. Then of my wrist and face, that he was explained was for evidence.

"I don't think it is broken, but maybe we should take you to the hospital to be sure." Edward pulled my skirt back down and gently released my leg.

"No, hospitals. He has connections there." I shook my head.

Edward ran his hand through his hair and sat back on his heels. "Well, at least, ice it and try to keep off it."

I nodded. "Can you check my back too?" I whispered.

I closed my eyes trying not to tense as he moved behind and lifted my shirt in the back. I suddenly had a flashback.

_We rested side by side in the grass of our meadow it almost twilight. I became hyper aware when Edward rolled towards me, he slipped his hands under my shirt and started to caress my skin._

"_Edward, we have to get back." I reminded him._

"_Your dad working the night shift, he's not going to notice. Besides I leave in a few days and I'm really going to miss you, baby. Please?" I felt he lips caress the skin right below my ear. I rolled over on to my back and pulled his lips to mine. He hovered over me and we got swept away. Needless to say Masen was born nine months later._

"Ow," I cried out.

I heard Edward curse behind me. "Sorry, Baby," he apologized.

I could still feel the warmth of his body from behind me. I missed that feeling and hated it at the same time.

"Don't call me your baby because I'm not." I corrected him.

He was silent for a minute.

"You're right. Again, I'm sorry. The cut isn't deep, so I don't think you need stiches. However, I'm not a doctor, I just have some basic first aid training. If either injury looks worse or isn't any better in a couple of days you're going to need to see a doctor. Alec can't possibly have connections in every hospital in the U.S.. Hell, if I need to I'll get my father to come out." He came around to look in me in the eyes.

"Don't call your parents. I don't want them in harm's way." They had left right after Edward had to go to Chicago. Plus, my last conversation with Esme didn't go very well.

"Where can I find something to cover it, it's bleeding?" Edward sighed in resignation.

"There's a bathroom right there. Anything you might need would be under the sink." I directed to him to a door of the kitchen.

He disappeared in to it a moment later.

"Hey, Bella, if you give me a list of anything you or Masen might need, we will leave and go get it, so we don't have to make any stops tomorrow. The less you bring from here the better, so don't worry about packing unless it's essential. Although, if you could get your hands on any important documents like birth certificates it would make it easier." Jasper sat down next to me.

I started listing off things for them to get. Things we needed as well as few things for the car to keep Masen distracted. Edward had returned and bandaged me up while listening with vapid interest about Masen. He also gave some pain killers and a glass of water.

"Alright, I think we got what we can for now. Call us tomorrow as soon as it is clear." Jasper slipped his phone in his pocket and he looked at Edward for confirmation.

Edward nodded stiffly, I could tell he didn't want to leave.

"Would you like to meet Masen, before you go? That way it's not too awkward tomorrow?" I suggested shyly.

Edward's eyes widened immediately and he nodded. His expression changed and he suddenly looked nervous.

"If you think that it would be okay. I don't want to upset him anymore. He already thinks we are taking him from his mom." He looked upset.

"Then it's best he get an abridged version of what's going to happen." I slid off the stool and stumbled.

Edward grasped my elbow to steady me, I pulled away again out of instinct.

**LB**

I walked slowly to the living room where Masen was stretched out on the couch. His knees were pulled to his chest and he was eyeing Emmett warily while sipping on his juice. Emmett was enthralled with watching _Between the Lions._

"Hey, little man, how are you feeling?" I sat next to him and brushed the hair off his forehead. He felt warm, but it didn't feel like a fever. He shrugged before trying to cuddle into my side.

"Mommy, I don't want to leave you," he whimpered.

I kissed the top of his head lovingly. "You're not going to, sweetheart. Tomorrow, you and I are going to go on a trip. But we need to keep it a big secret okay. You can't say anything to anyone."

He glanced at the other three in the room.

"It's okay, they know. They're going to go with us. These are my friends. You already met Emmett. These two here are Jasper and Edward." I introduced them. He looked over at them shyly, his eyes lingered on Edward. I waited for what I knew was pretty sure was going to happen.

"You look like the man from mommy's picture. You are my daddy." He looked at me for confirmation.

I nodded encouragingly with a gentle smile. Edward's eyes were wide with shock. I had told Masen about his daddy and never kept him a secret, I did however, keep the details fairly vague, since he was too young to understand. I know what it felt like to be reject by a parent, and I didn't want that for Masen even if I had to tell a white lie. I certainly didn't want him thinking Alec was his father.

"Yes, I am." Edward knelt down so Masen didn't have to crank his head back to see him.

"Mommy said you a Maryanne and you're a hero for our countfry." He stated with a smile.

Edward looked thoroughly confused and I had to giggle. He wasn't used to how a three old tended to confuse words.

"Sweetie, he is a Marine and it's country not countfry." I gently corrected him.

"Oh, sorry," Masen blushed slightly.

"I think I like Maryanne better." Jasper snickered looking amused.

"You realize that you're Maryanne too." I commented dryly and Jasper stopped laughing.

"Mommy said that's why you never sawed me cause you were busy helping other people who needed you more. Mommy also said you lovid me, if you knew you were me…my daddy." He chewed on his lip looking at Edward for confirmation.

"Your mommy is right. I do love you. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner." Edward apologized with a sad smile, there were a couple of tears in his eyes.

"Daddy," Masen crawled closer so he could whisper in Edward's ear, but we could still all hear him. "My mommy needs a hero. Mr. Alec is meaner than Oscar. He gets mad at her a lot."

I closed my eyes, I hated that Masen knew, even though Alec had never hit me in front of him, he could still be very loud.

"Who is Oscar?" Edward asked sounding confused and slightly upset, I couldn't help but scoff.

"The grouch, dude. How could you not know that?" Emmett snickered.

"Yeah, Edward, how could you not know," Jasper snickered too, though I doubt he knew. I opened my eyes to see Edward rolling his eyes.

"Of course, it has been awhile since I have watched Sesame Street. My favorite when I was a little boy was Super Grover."

Masen's eyes widened and he smiled widely. I shook my head wondering if he only said that because I mentioned it earlier.  
"Mine too. I like when Grover is a funny waiter." Masen nodded furiously.

"Does he still serve the same blue guy with the mustache and the bald head?" Edward asked. I had to say I was impressed after all.

"Uh huh, Grover always make him mad." Masen grinned faded at the word mad. "So are you?" he asked impatiently. "Going to be my mommy's hero." He whispered.

"Yeah, little buddy, I'm going to make sure you and your mommy are safe from now on." Edward promised and I frowned. He had made promises before and never kept them.

Masen threw his little arms around Edward's neck and hugged him. Edward paused for a moment before returning the hug.

I looked up at the clock and realized the time. "Masen, I'm going to make you a quick dinner and then it will be time for you to take a bath and go to bed." I braced myself for an argument as soon as I said the dreaded bath word. I was surprised when he didn't pitch a fit.

"Will you give me a bath, Daddy?" he asked excitedly.

I jumped in before Edward could answer.

"He and the others need to leave." I started, only to be interrupted by a wail.

"Nooooo!" he clung to Edward tightly.

"Masen Charlie, listen, please. They need to leave so Alec doesn't see them, remember our leaving has to be a secret. If he see them then that secret will be ruined. We will see them tomorrow, I promise," I said gently.

Masen pulled away and looked up Edward. "Promise?" he pouted and gave him huge puppy dog eyes that would've put Alice to shame.

"Promise, little buddy." Edward ruffled his hair before setting Masen on the couch.

He stood and so did Emmett. He stretched and I watched as Masen's eyes grow huge looking up at him.

"Got to go, but we will hang more tomorrow," he held out his fist towards Masen.

Masen looked confused and shrank back slightly.

"You make one too and we bump them together, like this." He held his fist out towards Jasper who bumped it with his.

Masen raised his tiny fist timidly and bumped Emmett's.

"There you go." Emmett smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Masen." Jasper held out his fist. Masen shyly bumped it then turned towards Edward.

"Bye, Daddy," he held out his fist. Edward grinned and bumped it.

"Bye, little buddy." He said back.

"I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to the kitchen to make you dinner." I stood up too.

"Sagetti O's," he asked.

"Spaghetti O's," I pronounced slowly.

"Spa…ghetti O's, please," he asked biting his lip and I got the puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, but you still need a vegetable too, so no complaints."

He nodded and settled back on the couch.

The guys followed me into the kitchen.

"Call us tomorrow," Jasper raised an eyebrow at me, as if he doubted me.

I nodded in agreement as I held the door.

"We will park around the block so we aren't noticed and take you out the back, like we came today."

"See ya, Bells. He's a cute kid." Emmett smiled before walking out.

Edward paused at the door. "I promise you that I will get you both somewhere safe from this asshole and then I will never leave your side again."

"Don't go making promises, Edward. You suck at keeping them. I may need help getting out of this situation, and I am grateful that you three are willing to help, but I don't need you to be my hero. So don't make promises that you aren't going to keep. You have no obligation to me. If you want to be part of Masen's life then that's fine. But I'm not part of the deal," I retorted angrily.

"Bella, it wouldn't be an obligation. I still love you." He looked remorseful.

"Bullshit. If you loved me you never would've left me. You would've opened the letters. I wouldn't be…" I stopped because it wasn't his fault Alec was an abusive ass. "Just leave and we will see you tomorrow. Do me one favor and don't promise Masen any fairytale ending where his mom and dad get married and they live happily ever after, because they don't exist."

Edward watched me for a moment before giving me a curt nod and left. I closed the door behind him and started to cry. One, because there was a glimmer of a chance I was going to be free of Alec. Two, because a part of me still loved Edward and getting close to him again scared the shit out of me. No matter how many times Alec had smacked me around it felt nothing compared to the hurt I felt when Edward broke up with me.

**A/N: As many of you figured out Edward is the father. Last chapter they were more focused getting her and her son out of an abusive situation then the age of the son. For the record Bella did try a few times to reach him only for it to fail. Why did she tell Masen about Edward? Because upset as she was at him, he is the father and she rather have Masen know about him then have him think Alec was the father. **

**I know some want them together again and all I'm going to say is Bella needs to go through a healing process for herself and Masen before she can be with him or anyone for that matter.**

**Thank You For All the Reviews**

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Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

"**Grover," he squealed and pulled it out. "Look, Mommy." He held it up for her.**

"**I see," she smiled at him.**

"**There's a book too." I prompted. I pulled it out of the bag and held it out to him. He pointed at the cover. **

"**Grover is on the book." He took it from me and held it out to Bella. "Read, please?" **

"**How about your Daddy reads it to you?" she suggested. He turned in his seat excitedly. **

"**Read, please?" he asked with big green eyes. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch.3: **

**(EPOV)**

We were in the kid's section of Target feeling a little lost. I was also still in a bit of shock. I had a son. I was father. And I had missed the first three years of his life completely. What kind of father did that make me?

I didn't doubt Bella's word for a moment that she tried to contact me. I was more upset that I didn't receive the letters. I couldn't figure out how they returned to her without me knowing about them unless she had the wrong address.

"Edward," Jasper called sharply.

I looked over and then down in confusion to find him bent down in front of some shelves.

"What?" I asked him.

He let out a sigh and pointed to some shirts. When he told Bella to bring as little as possible he meant clothes too. With how controlling Alec was and his possible connection we couldn't be sure that he hadn't placed tracking devices in anything.

"I've been trying to get your attention. I was asking, what do you think? Animals, cars and trucks, construction vehicles, or dinosaurs for shirts for Masen?" he asked patiently.

"I have no idea. How fucked up is that? I don't even know what my own kid likes," I grumbled.

A mother shopping near-by with her kids glared at me for my foul language. I grimaced apologetically, she huffed and pushed her cart off to another area.

"It's not your fault, bro. You didn't even know there was a possibility until a few hours ago that you had a son," Jasper said calmly, he pulled out a few shirts of each.

"It's not Bella's either." I leaned my forearms on the handle bar of our cart.

Jasper sigh exasperatedly and stood up. "I didn't say that it was." He placed the shirts in the cart. "Look, Edward, it's a shitty situation. I get that and you have every right to be upset. We don't know what happened. It could be a stupid screw up with the mail if the address was wrong. Or maybe the asshole Alec had something to do with it," he spoke in a lower voice.

I hadn't thought about that. I grimaced at the thought.

"Want me to have Peter look into it?" he asked.

Before I could answer there was a crash into our cart. We both looked up to see Emmett with a second cart had crash into ours. He looked red face and had a sheepish expression.

"Sorry. It got away from me." He pulled back the cart slightly.

"Emmett, what is all that?" Jasper asked looking his cart.

"Well, I got a portable DVD player that will hook up to the car. I found some kid DVDs for him to watch." Emmett held out some videos.

"He's three, won't Scooby-Doo scare him. Won't Bambi or something be better?" Jasper pointed out.

"The mother gets killed in Bambi, how is that better. No one dies in Scooby-Doo." Emmett crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Jasper rolled at his eyes and then looked toward me.

"As long as we have a few options I think we will be alright. We will just ask Bella before watching any of them. She will know best." I decided.

Emmett gave Jasper a triumphant look.

"What's the rest of this, I don't think we are going need all of that." I shook my head at all the toys he piled in the cart. His smile faded slightly.

"He's going to need toys." Emmett insisted.

"Right now, we should focus on the basics until we get settled somewhere. Put most of that back," Jasper ordered.

"Yeah, I might have gotten carried away, toys are right across from electronics. I just want to make sure the little guy has some cool things. There is this book _The Monster at the end of this book starring lovable, furry old Grover _and it came with a small Grover plush. Is that okay?" Emmett asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I think he will love that." I nodded with a small smile. If Bella had anything to do with it, he would probably enjoyed reading it. "Keep books, coloring books and crayons, and videos. The rest can wait until we know what he likes."

"What about this?" Emmett held up a flat object. "It's a MagnaDoodle. You use a magnet pen to draw pictures then just slide this and the pictures erases and you can start again. I thought it would be good for the car."

"That sounds okay." I agreed. "Meet us by the car seats and diapers."

He put the toy down and nodded, he started pull the cart backwards before he stopped again.

"I heard you guys when I came up. About the letters, why worry about it? It's in the past. You know about Masen now and that's all that should matter, right?" He shrugged before continuing on.

"What do you think, is it worth worrying about?" I looked at Jasper, his mouth was in a grim line as he seemed to think it over.

"He may have a point, it's in the past. Even if it was Alec, there's not much we can do about it now. We would have to prove it to press charges." Jasper finally glanced up.

I sighed and reached over to look at the pants. I picked a few with adjustable waists. Like Bella specifically explained about, since Masen had a small waist but was tall. Jasper grabbed some pajamas and placed them in the cart.

We headed over to the next section and stood in front of some car seats. My eyes were drawn to a couple, they were probably around our age. The young woman was pregnant and her hands rested lightly on her belly. She had dark hair and she reminded me a bit of Bella. I wondered how she had looked carrying Masen. The guy she was with was holding a scan device in one hand and a book of baby products in the other.

_It was towards the end of junior year when they did a whole simulation program where the girls had to wear fake pregnancy bellies and were matched up to guys. They did this every year right before prom. Since we were paired by Biology partners I was married to Bella. _

_She was sitting on the stool looking uncomfortable and kept trying rub her back. I reached over and rubbed it for her and she sighed in contentment. I thought she looked beautiful with round bump. I noticed she unconsciously rub it as if there was a real baby in there. _

"_I can't wait until this is project is done." She closed her eyes._

"_I don't think it's so bad. I think you look beautiful." I leaned over and kissed her cheek._

"_You're biased. Either that, or you trying to get lucky later. But it's not happening." She didn't open her eyes. We had been dating a few months at this point, but we have only had sex a few times. _

"_Sure I can't change your mind?" I slipped my hand under the back of her shirt. Since we sat in the last row it wouldn't be noticeable. _

"_Nope, their project worked. I don't want to risk getting pregnant any time soon." She smirked teasingly._

"_Would it really be that bad having my baby?" She opened her eyes and looked at me._

"_While in high school, yes." She gave me an incredulous look. ._

"_But you will have my baby one day?" I wiggled my eyebrows._

"_Aren't we a little young to be thinking like that?" She bit her lip as she blushed._

"_I don't think so." I shrugged. Before she could respond the teacher called the class to order. _

"Can we help you?" he asked standing slightly in front of his wife.

"Sorry, I was just trying to read the title of the book. I need to get a new car seat for my son and wanted to make sure I got a good one. Do they sell that book here?" I made an excuse for my staring.

"Oh, I got this at Barnes and Nobles. Would you like to look?" She took the book from her husband and waddled to me. She held out with a small smile.

"Thank you that would be great." I took the book and started to leaf through it.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"He's three," I answered with a nod.

"Is it true that is seems like time goes by quickly?" she asked innocently.

I paused because how do I say I don't know without sounding like a deadbeat dad.

"My friend just got back from overseas and only met his son for the first time the other day," Emmett answered for me.

Jasper shot him a warning look that he missed.

"Oh," She bit her lip and looked a bit teary. She glanced at her husband, who rubbed her lower back.

"Thank you for serving. I'm sorry you had to miss out on your son's birth." He held out his hand and I shook it.

"You're welcome. I'm here now though. I don't plan on missing anything else." I glanced down at the book. I handed it back to them with a smile. "Thank you for the book and congratulations."

"Thank you." She smiled taking the book and disappeared down an aisle.

"Em, we need to be careful who we speak to. We have no clue who Alec has connections with," Jasper warned under his breath.

"Shit, sorry." Emmett scowled and looked around.

I spotted the car seat that was rated one of the best and grabbed it. Jasper made room for it in the cart.

A half-hour later we were out of the store after getting Pull-ups, clothes for Bella, snacks and medical supplies.

**LB**

The hours that went by were long and tortuous. I didn't sleep or eat well as we waited for Bella to call. As the hours clicked closer to late morning I grew anxious and kept willing for the phone to ring. Jasper had heard from Peter almost an hour and half ago saying that Alec had check-in for his flight.

Tired of waiting or maybe just tired of me driving them crazy, we parked around the block like we had did the prior day. Finally at ten-thirty Jasper's phone rang.

"Finally," I let a breath.

"Hello?" Jasper answered cautiously. He listened for a moment before speaking. "I can understand your concern, but I really think we should move sooner than later. He can get plenty of sleep in the car. We will just keep a close eye on him."

"What's wrong, is Masen sick," I asked worriedly.

He held up his hand for me to be quiet. I huffed in annoyance that I was out of the loop.

"Alright, we are around the corner so we will be right there." Jasper concluded before hanging up. I looked at him expectantly as he took care of his phone.

"Relax, Edward, it's just a cold with a small fever. She was just concerned about traveling with him when he's sick, because he gets extra cranky." Jasper informed. "Let's go get them." He looked in the review mirror at Emmett who was staring at something out his window. "Emmett, did you hear me." He spoke louder.

"Yeah, sorry. I thought I saw something, but it's nothing. Let's go get Bells and the little guy." He opened his door and stepped out.

We traveled through a couple of backyards to end up at the same house as yesterday. The backdoor slid open as we approached signaling that Bella was watching. We stepped through the door and Emmett closed the door behind us.

There was a small pile of things by the counter. Masen was up in Bella's arms, his head was buried in her neck and he was clutching a stuffed frog to him very closely.

"I know you want us to take as little as possible, but this stuffed frog is very important to Masen. Is it alright if he brings him?" Bella looked at Jasper desperately.

She looked stressed out and I noticed a new bruise on her other arm. Jasper hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sure, it will be alright. But can I see him first, Masen?" Jasper asked kindly.

Masen peeked out at him with one eye skeptically. "Why?" he asked shortly holding his frog closer to him.

"I just want to make sure that he's good to go," Jasper said.

Masen still didn't seem to trust him.

"You, see Mase, Jazz here just wants to give your frog his check-up. He is going to look him over to make sure he is fit for traveling. Some states require all animals to be checked out before crossing the state borders. Does your frog have a name?" Emmett asked him.

"Hoppy Froggy Longlegs," Masen whispered.  
"May I please see Hoppy Froggy Longlegs? I promise it's only for a moment and you can watch the entire time." Jasper held out his hand.

Masen held out his frog slowly. He looked flushed and tired. He coughed a little and whimpered when Jasper took the frog.

"Did you want to say hi to your daddy." I heard Bella ask trying to distract him.

He glanced quickly at me and smiled.

"Daddy." He tried to lunge out of Bella's arms.

She winced when she stepped quickly forward on her bad leg to stop from dropping him. I hurried forward to help her. Masen wrapped his arms around my neck.

"Do you got him," Bella winced slightly from struggling not to let go too soon.

I grabbed around his waist to support him.

"Yeah, you can let go." I held my son to me. He was very warm compared to yesterday.

"How high is his fever," I asked.

"100.6, technically not really a fever, but higher than normal. I'm going to run to the restroom, be right back." Bella disappear for a moment.

"How are you feeling, little buddy," I asked him.

Slightly concerned since he just seemed to melt into me and was very quiet.

"I feel icky," he mumbled, his eyes were on Jasper. Jasper smiled at him and held out the frog to him. He also held out a sheet of paper.

"Hoppy Froggy Longlegs is good to go." Jasper winked at Masen.

Masen grabbed the frog and the paper.

"What's tis." He asked holding the paper to him. I chuckled as I read it.

"It's a certificate saying that Hoppy is good to travel." I explained as I looked at Jasper in surprise.

He rolled his eyes and nodded his head to Emmett who was smiling widely. He putting a pen in his pocket.

"Tank you," Masen smiled shyly at Jasper and held his small fist.

Jasper grinned and bumped his fist back.

"You're quite welcome, glad to be of service." Jasper chuckled.

Bella stepped out of the bathroom and Masen called to her.

"Mommy, Hoppy got his circuscut." He held up the paper proudly.

I held back a laugh at not only the messed up word but the baffled look on Bella's face.

"It's pronounced cer-tif-i-cate." I corrected him gently like Bella did yesterday.

"Oh, sorry," Masen cheeks pinked, he must get that from his mom.

"Let me see," Bella took the paper from him.

She smirked when she read it and looked at Jasper. He gestured to Emmett who just smiled.

"I'm going to put this with my other important papers okay?" She ruffled Masen's hair. He nodded and cuddled into me again.

Bella bent down and placed it in a small bag that Jasper just finished checking over.

"All I have is these few things. I wanted to bring his nebulizer in case he needed it. Then last is just his medicine." She explained.

Jasper looked it over and he frowned slightly.

"Does he get Asthma attacks often?" he asked in concern looking at them.

"Not really, they tend to happen more when he gets sick though." Bella answered.

"Okay, we will keep him as resting as much as possible." Jasper stood up and grabbed the bag with her important papers and the nebulizer. Bella placed the medicine in a small cooler bag.

"I think we are good to go." Jasper looked at all of us.

"Hold on," Bella said. She struggled trying to take the gaudy ring off her finger. She twisted it back and forth until it slipped off, leaving a red ring around the finger. She left the ring in the middle of the counter. "I'm ready." She took a deep breath and actually smiled.

She reached for Masen but he pulled back away from her.

"I want Daddy to carry me," he announced.

Bella's smile faltered slightly, but she nodded and forced a smile.

"Okay, baby," she answered and kissed his cheek.

I gave her an apologetic look, but she just shook her head and gave me a soft sad smile.

We left out the back and started to make our way back. Bella paused at the edge of the yard.

"We are going through backyards?" She hesitated to follow.

"We are pretty sure no one is home in these houses. We did a drive by earlier." Jasper paused and looked over his shoulder at her.

"It will be okay," I reached for her hand and she narrowed her eyes at me.

She limped ahead ignoring my out stretched hand. I sighed and dropped my hand to my side and shifted Masen in my arms. He was looking around curiously and nervously.

"Everything okay, little buddy." I asked.

He shrugged looking tried and coughed slightly. Bella's head whipped around in concern. I rubbed his back and turned my head slightly away. When he stopped he rested his head back on my shoulder.

When we reached the sidewalk, Emmett turned to Masen.

"You're in luck. You should see the movies we got to watch in the car." Emmett grinned at him.

Masen perked up slightly. "You can watch movies in your car. Cool." He smiled excitedly.

"Yup, have you ever seen Scooby- Doo?" Emmett asked enthusiastically.

I shook my head in annoyance.

"Emmett, I told you to check with Bella first on that. It might be too old for him." I glanced at Bella apologetically.

She had a small frown as she thought it over. "I don't know if he is ready for Scooby just yet." She bit her lip.

"It's better than Bambi, no dead mothers." Emmett retorted, without thinking I reached forward and slapped him on the back of the head.

Masen stiffened in my arms then squirmed trying to push me away. I struggled to hold onto him afraid I was going to drop him.

"Down! Mommy!" he started to scream and cry. Bella rushed to us and started to take him from me.

"Edward, let him go. I have him," she said sternly. I let go and watched as Masen clung to her crying. She hopped up and down slightly and rubbed his back while trying calm him, wincing slightly. I glared at Emmett who looked incredibly guilty.

"Masen, sweetheart, it's okay, I'm right here." She kissed his cheek. She looked over at me and gave sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry he is extra cranky when he's sick," she explained.

Masen lifted his little head and pointed at me. "He hit him."

The expression on his face was heartbreaking and a punch to the gut when I realized my own son was scared of me. "He hit him. Hitting is mean. Alec hits." I sucked in a sharp breath. Both Jasper and Emmett froze on the sidewalk looking lost to help me fix this. Bella took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. She opened them and gently turned Masen's face until she was looking him in the eye.

"Your daddy isn't Alec. He didn't mean to hurt Emmett. He was just playing rough. Sometimes boys do that, but they aren't really trying hurt one another." Bella fudged the truth somewhat. Masen's lip trembled slightly and he clutched that frog to him.

"Hitting not nice." He frowned in defiance.

"You're right it's not very nice." Bella nodded and looked at me. 'Apologize', she mouthed.

"Masen, I'm sorry for upsetting you. I wasn't trying to hurt Emmett," I apologized, he eyed me warily.

Bella rolled her eyes, before mouthing again 'not to him to Emmett'. She gave me a pointed look.

"Emmett, I'm sorry for hitting you. It wasn't the right thing to do," I apologized to him.

"That's okay, Edward, I forgive you. I'm sorry for upsetting you and you too, Masen." Emmett smiled without giving me a hard time, like he normally would've. "Friends." He held out his fist to me and I bumped it back. "Friends, Masen?" he asked.

Masen nodded but didn't raise his fist, instead he clung to Bella still.

"Maybe you two should kiss and make-up," Jasper smiled evilly.

Emmett and I shot him a look, he wasn't helping.

"Mr. James kisses Mr. Laurent," Masen said quietly.

Jasper snickered and Emmett and I exchanged a worried look. For the first time in forever I heard Bella laugh.

"That's because Mr. James and Mr. Laurent are more than just friends, sweetie. Emmett and your daddy are just friends," she explained with an amused smirk.

"Oh," Masen answered.

"Shall we get in the car," Jasper spoke up to hurry us along.

We walked the short distance to the car. Jasper opened up the backdoor for Bella since she was still holding Masen. She thanked him and then tried to put Masen down, however, he still seemed hesitant to let her go.

"Can you get in the seat, please and then I will help you with the buckles," he nodded and crawled across the seat and climbed into the child seat we had in the center. Bella climbed in after him. She placed her bag at her feet and then buckled him in before the rest of us could get in the car.

Just as I was about to climb in the back Emmett handed me one of the Target bags. "Here give this to the little guy, it will cheer him up."

I peeked in and smiled hopefully.

I opened the door and slid in. Masen eyed me cautiously and it pained me that he still seemed afraid of me, compared to my original warm reception.

"I got something for you," I held out the bag to him.

"What's in it?" He looked at curiously.

"Go ahead and look." I shook the bag.

He glanced at Bella who nodded and gave him an encouraging smile. He took the bag and opened it, then nearly stuck his head in to see.

His eyes opened wide and he started to smile.

"Grover," he squealed and pulled it out. "Look, Mommy." He held it up for her.

"I see." She smiled at him.

"There's a book too." I prompted. I pulled it out of the bag and held it out to him. He pointed at the cover.

"Grover is on the book." He took it from me and held it out to Bella. "Read, please?"

"How about your Daddy reads it to you?" she suggested.

He turned in his seat excitedly.

"Read, please?" he asked with big eyes.

I started to read and he stopped me. "Read like Grover." He insisted.

The two in the front snickered and Bella covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smirk.

So I gave my best Grover impression. Masen seemed to love it, but the other three turn nearly red from trying to hide their laughter. _Critics._

Once I finished I tried to hand him the book, but he pushed it back in my hands.

"Again!" he ordered. Then gave me a sheepish smile. "Please, Daddy."

I ended up reading two more times before Masen was content looking at the pictures himself.

About an hour and half into our drive Masen announced he was hungry.

"There's a McDonalds ahead?" Emmett pointed to a sign. "Do you want a Happy Meal?" He turned in his seat to ask Masen.

"What's a Happy Meal?" he asked.

"You've nev…" Emmett stopped when he saw Bella shake her head.

"Is that okay?" I asked nervous that maybe she was too health food conscious to stop at a fast food place.

"McDonalds is fine," she said dismissively. She turned to Masen. "A Happy Meal comes with either a burger, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets, fries, and milk," she explained.

"Can I get chicken nuggets," he asked. Bella nodded and reached for her wallet.

"My treat," I insisted as Jasper pulled into the restaurant.

Bella frowned and looked ready to argue.

"Please, just let me do this."

She huffed and put her wallet back.

"How are we doing this?" Jasper asked from the front.

"Why don't I go in and do the ordering then bringing it out to the car." Emmett suggested.

"We can eat in the car, cool." Masen lit up.

"Bells, I know what these two jokers usually eat, what do you want?" Emmett asked as he took the money I handed him.

"I'm fine thanks." She refused.

I fought a sigh. She was too skinny to skip a meal.

"If you don't chose, I will just chose for you." Emmett insisted, thankfully.

She looked like she was debating arguing with him.

"Fine. A grilled chicken wrap and water." She sighed. Emmett nodded and placed a ball cap on before slipping out of the car.

"Masen, do you need to use the restroom?" she asked. He shook his head as he looked at the book again. She sighed and checked his pull-up. Then felt his forehead with her hand. "So where are we going anyways?"

"Forks," Jasper and I answered at the same time.

Bella didn't look happy with the idea. In fact she paled and looked nervous.

"Are you sure. He has found us there before?" she asked playing with her seatbelt.

"We're going to go to my parents' place. You remember how it's out of the way and secluded. We will send Emmett on errands for what we need. We will stay there until we can think of somewhere else. My parents' was the best idea we could think of, especially since they built that fallout shelter when people were worried about Y2K." I explained.

She reached down and pulled out a small stack of letters from her bag and held them out to me.

"Here, these are the letters I sent. Proof that I tried to reach you," she held them out.

"I didn't doubt that you did try." I took them from her as she shrugged. She busied herself showing the movies we got to Masen.

I sighed and looked at the letters that I now held in my hand. Part of me wanted to open them and part of me was afraid too. She had the address right, plus they were postmarked and plain as day, written neatly on the front, was 'return to sender'.

Emmett opened my door to hand some food in. He stopped suddenly and looked at the letters with a strange look.  
"These are the letters Bella tried to send me," I explained, finding his reaction a little odd.

"Oh," he nodded. "Bells, I got you a chocolate shake. No arguing. You need some meat on your bones. Don't tell me you don't like it, I remember you loved chocolate in high school.

"Milk shake is milk not meat." Masen looked confused.

"You're right, he was just using an expression saying your mommy looked too thin." I felt her heated glare and I shrugged helplessly. I was only trying to help.

Bella rolled her eyes before she helped Masen get out his food.

"Look a Cah." He held up his toy.

"Car. R…rrrr" Bella corrected with a smile.

"Carrrrrr" Masen repeated with a giggle and then a slight cough. "Look, Daddy." He held it up.

"I see. That's a cool looking carrrr." I smiled at him. Masen laughed again.

"Open, please." He shook the bag. I put down the letters and took the toy bag from him.

"Eat first, Masen." Bella insisted.

He pouted but she ignored it, while she opened up her food. He turned to pout at me and she gave me a pointed look from behind his head not to undermine her. I knew she was right. Even though I hated to I had to do what was best than just make him happy.

"Listen to your mom, I'll open it when you're all done." I placed the bag down and opened my own food. Masen huffed but started to eat as told.

**A/N:**

**So they are on their way. Just in case of any confusion, Bella doesn't know that Emmett suggested that Edward should break up with her. **

**Many of you are wondering about the letters. You get to see them next chapter, but we won't find out what happened for another couple of chapters. I will say it wasn't Esme. Edward would either been on base or shipped overseas. Esme and Carlisle left a few months him. **

**I don't know if Target sells Grover and the book separately or together. I do know both exist just sold separately in stores.**

**Another answer to a popular question, Bella met Alec when she pregnant around 4 months. You'll find out more next chapter. **

**If you think Bella is being too nice, keep in mind she is doing it for Masen's sake. **

**Thank You For All Reviews!**

**LB  
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Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

**With the letter there was a couple of photos. One of Masen in a bath screaming his head off. He was so tiny and red. The second he was wrapped up like a burrito in a blue blanket lying in a hospital crib for babies. The third Bella was holding him with a tired, but happy smile. There was a forth with a sticky note. 'Bella doesn't know I sent this, she would kill me if she did. –Alice'. I pulled the sticky note off. It was a profile of Bella and she was very pregnant. She had one hand on her belly and she was smiling softly. But it didn't quite reach her sad eyes. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch: 4**

**(EPOV) **

It was late at night or technically early morning and Masen and Bella were both asleep in the back. Emmett was now driving and Jasper was trying to get some sleep. So far the drive had gone well. Every time Masen got cranky we would bring out a new movie or the MagnaDoodle which he had fallen in love with. It kept him busy for a while.

We stopped a couple of times to eat or for bathroom breaks. Since Bella was trying to potty train Masen we would stop when he had to go. Usually it was me or one of the guys that took him in wearing hats and sunglasses. Bella borrowed Jasper's hoodie, even though it warm, to hide the bruise on her face with the hood up. Part of me was disgruntled that he beat me to offering it to her.

I couldn't sleep so I turned on the small light over the door and pulled out the letters. I ran my fingers over her sloppy, loopy writing. After a moment's hesitation I opened the first one.

July 25, 2004

_Dear Edward,_

_You probably didn't expect to hear from me, again, but I have some news to tell you about. But first, I hope that this letter finds you well. You probably finished boot camp at this point and I'm not sure where you will end up next. I hope despite how things ended you're well and that you're safe._

_As for my news, I have to tell you it caught me by complete surprise. I swear to you it wasn't planned. I am pregnant! _

_There I said it or at least I wrote…I guess. I thought you deserved to know since it will make you a father. After giving it a lot thought I'm keeping the baby. I can't even contemplate an abortion and I'm not sure if I could give up my…our baby either. _

_I wanted you to know I don't expect anything of you. I'm not going to tell you we should get back together for the baby or even get married because I know first hand that doesn't work. Look at Renée and Charlie. They tried for the sake of me and ended up miserable. I don't want you to be miserable tied to me._

_Don't worry I haven't told Charlie that I'm pregnant yet, so you are currently safe from him. I have only told Alice. She agreed with me that I should contact you. She even held my hand when I waited for the results of my test in her bathroom. _

_I'm telling you, because as the baby's father you have the right to be in the baby's life. I'm not going to take that from you. Although I won't force you to be in the baby's life either. Please, contact me back to tell me what you've decide._

Yours, was crossed out and replaced with,

_Sincerely, _

_Bella_

I took a deep breath and folded the letter. She pretty much wrote to tell me as soon as she found out. In fact, from the sounds of it, I was the second person that she told. I couldn't fault her for telling Alice. I was happy that someone was there for her even though it should've been me.

I placed the letter back in the envelope and grabbed the second one. My eyebrows raised at the anger of the second letter and how she addressed me so formally. The letter had tiny holes from where she used too much pressure on the paper.

_September 2, 2004_

_Dear Mr. Cullen,_

_This is the second time that I have tried to reach you. The first letter got sent back to unopened with 'return to sender' on it and it seems that you couldn't have been bothered to open it. Well hopefully you can take a moment of your precious time to open it this time._

_I am contacting you to inform you that I am pregnant with your baby. Yes, your baby! I don't what you to have heard from the stupid, small town gossip, but the __**baby is yours**__. Rumors have been circulating around town that I've cheated on you and that is why you dumped me. Even Esme believes it and wouldn't give me a chance to explain. She screamed at me in the middle of the supermarket 'How could I've done this to you?' What did you tell them? She was better to me than my own mother and she now looks at me like I am the town slut. What did I ever do but loved you? I don't deserve to be treated this way. I get you don't love me anymore, but is the cruelty really necessary?_

_Isn't it bad enough that my own mother disowned me when I told her I was pregnant and I refused to get an abortion like she insisted? She told me that having me was the biggest mistake of her life that she wished she could do over. And not to make the same mistake she did by taking on a burden._

_Then I defend your sorry ass to Charlie when I told him. After seeing how I was treated and that you just left, he was all set to hunt your ass down. But I stood up for you for whatever reason, because I couldn't let him do something to you for something that you may not have any idea about. _

_I am telling you because it is the right thing to do. Even at this point when I wish I could never hear you name again. But you're my baby's father and he deserves to know you. If you think I am lying like the rest of them then __**screw you**__! If want a paternity test then you will have to wait until the baby is born. I am not risking the baby's life with a test that may do more harm than good to prove truth._

_I would hope you would know me enough that I wouldn't lie about this. But then I thought I knew you well enough and look were that got me. _

_I don't know how else to reach you. Hell, maybe I should hire someone to write in the sky wherever you are staying. Then whatever skank of the week that you've busied yourself with will know what kind of guy you are, so they don't end up knocked up too. Don't tell me that there aren't any. Emmett told Rose what you planned to do, after she broke up with him, before she left for college. At least she believes me, even if she encouraged me to give the baby up for adoption. _

_If you want to contact me you know where to reach me. _

_Miss Isabella Swan_

_P.S._

_If you need proof I am pregnant here is a copy of the baby's first ultrasound. _

I pulled out the small black and white photo. She had circled a white cluster and labeled it baby. I touched it lightly with a light finger. In the corner it was labeled that she was about ten weeks when it was taken.

"You alright?" Emmett asked from the front.

"Yeah, just reading one of the letters." I replied.

"How many did she write?" he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"Four in all," I answered. "In this one she was so mad at me. Seems like the whole town got the idea that she had cheated on me and that's why I dumped her. She had to deal with that shit on top of being pregnant." I placed everything back in the envelope.

"Fuck," Emmett seemed upset too.

I smiled sadly, he had always cared for Bella like a sister, so sure he understood what that gossip did to someone who was quiet and reserved like Bella. I brushed off what Rose said, because she tended to be a bitch anyways. Renée was never much involved with Bella's life so I wasn't surprised there. I was shocked by my own mother though. I had never explained to them what happened between Bella and me. When I came home upset I told them I didn't want to talk about it and left it as that. It made me feel like shit she took the blame for it.

"My parents knew that she was pregnant too. They never told me. They thought she had cheated on me too." I dropped the second letter on the seat and took a deep breath before opening the third. I looked at Bella sleeping at the moment looking peaceful. She was so mad at me in that last letter and she had every right to be.

_October 22, 2004_

_Dear Edward,_

_This is the third letter I have sent you. I don't know why they keep returning to me. This is the address you gave me. I would check with your parents but they left as you may know. They weren't too pleased with me when they left either. I wished they let me explain to them before they believed the horrible rumors. I hope you don't either if you are ignoring them. _

_Actually I'm glad you didn't get my last letter. I had a very hard, bad day when I wrote that one and was too emotional to be in any shape to be writing. _

_Edward, there is no easy way to tell you this. But I'm pregnant. The baby is yours. I hope you haven't heard the rumors that I cheated on you. You have to believe me that I would never ever have done that to you when I loved so much. I also didn't go and have a one night stand as a rebound after you left. The other popular story._

_This baby is yours and from what I can figure it had to have happened the last time we made love in the meadow. _

_Currently I am twenty weeks pregnant. The baby is due in Mid-March, about the thirteenth. I found out today that I'm having a boy. I hope one day he is as handsome as his father. _

_I'm writing so you have a chance to know your son. To be his father, if you want. Even if we aren't together anymore I wouldn't take that from either of you. Every boy deserves a father and I know you would be a great one. _

_I'm not asking anything from you. Only to let you know the truth. What you chose to do with it is your decision._

_One more thing… I met someone recently. He has been about the only one nice to me in a long while. His name is Alec Volturi. He is a business manager at U-Dub about to get his Masters. He reminds me of you in a lot of ways, intelligent, polite and how he tries to make me laugh. He has been nothing, but a gentleman towards me._

_He has asked me to dinner a few times but I have turned him down. I finally accepted the other day. It's nothing serious but it's nice to have a friend. Alice is away in New York so I don't get to see her. Charlie is okay but he's always busy. _

_I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you're being safe so your son can one day meet his father. If you see Jasper and Emmett tell them hi for me and I wish them well too._

_Bella._

_P.S._

_I included two pictures from the last ultrasound. One is his head and torso (he looks like he's trying to wave), the second is a picture shows that he is a boy. _

I pulled out the pictures and I smiled. You could make out a nose and mouth. I could see his arms and little hand raised. I looked at the second and it didn't take long to figure out that between his legs he was obviously a boy.

At least, she was happier in this letter. I'm not sure what the change of heart was, but then Bella didn't usually hold a grudge. I felt a surge of jealousy that it was Alec with her, going through the pregnancy and being there when Masen was born.

"Bella says hi and she hopes you're being safe," I told Emmett. He looked at me in the rearview mirror with a confused expression.

"Huh?" he looked back at the road.

"In the letter she asked me to tell you and Jazz 'hi' and that she hope that you're being safe." I restated more clearly.

"Oh, I didn't think she would think about us." Emmett frowned slightly and shifted in his seat.

"Why wouldn't she. She thinks of you two as friends." I looked up at him.

He shrugged, opened his mouth and closed it.

"She met Alec at this point. She states that he was nice and actually reminded her of me." I scowled. I would never have laid hand on her in violence.

"Is it really that surprising that he was nice at first? He probably did that to lure her in." Emmett answered as if it was obvious.

"But why her? Why choose a woman that was pregnant?" Something bothered me about this.

"Why not. Maybe he really did like Bella at first. Can you blame him for that?" Emmett reasoned.

"No, I guess not." I sighed discontentment and picked up the last letter.

_March 9, 2005_

_Dear Edward,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. This is my fourth and last attempt to reach you. I have tried to reach you because shortly after you left, I found out I was pregnant with your son. _

_Today, March 9, 2005, I gave birth to him. I named him Masen Charles Cullen. He was 6lbs 6oz, 20 inches long. He is healthy and strong and he looks like his daddy. His hair already looks like it's going to be ginger. The only thing he has from me is my nose. But it's still too early to tell what color his eyes will be. _

_I hope you want to be part of your son's life. I want him to know his daddy. I am going to tell him about you. All good things I promise. He will know you as his daddy, the Marine, who is busy off fighting for our country, to protect him and everyone else. _

_I swear I will never utter an ill word about you to him. I know from experience what that does to a child. _

_I hope he will meet you one day for himself. I promise to never keep him from you, but this is the last time I will reach out. I have tried a few times now only for each letter to retuned unopened. Each time I feel more and more rejected. I won't allow Masen to feel rejected by you. It hurts when a parent rejects you, I know countless times from my experience from Renée. So decide either you're in his life or you're not. There is no back and forth with being in his life, that's one thing I refuse to allow. _

_I have met someone and he's a good man. He has promised to provide for Masen and myself. Even Charlie likes the guy. _

_His name is Alec Volturi and he has asked me to marry him. I plan to tell him yes. He is going to move us to Phoenix for his work. _

_Even if I marry him he still won't be Masen's father. That still will be you, unless you give up your rights. But I hope you don't. I won't ask you for child's support. Just for you to be there for your son when you are ready._

_Take care of yourself, because there is a little boy who will want to meet his Daddy the war hero. _

_Sincerely,_

_Bella_

With the letter there was a couple of photos. One of Masen in a bath screaming his head off. He was so tiny and red. The second he was wrapped up like a burrito in a blue blanket lying in a hospital crib for babies. The third Bella was holding him with a tired, but happy smile. There was a forth with a sticky note. 'Bella doesn't know I sent this, she would kill me if she did. –Alice'. I pulled the sticky note off. It was a profile of Bella and she was very pregnant. She had one hand on her belly and she was smiling softly. But her smile didn't quite reach her sad eyes.

I didn't realize I was crying until a drop fell on the paper. I wiped my eyes and looked out the window to gather myself. Bella never failed to amaze me. She should've hated me and had every right to keep Masen from me, but it seems that she had never planned to even when she was the most upset with me. Instead she described me as a hero, which I wasn't one.

I wished I could turn back the clock and never have broken up with her. I could've been there for her and Masen. She wouldn't have ended up with Alec. He never would've laid a hand on her. Charlie would still be alive.

I had this second chance and I'll be damned if I mess it up again. I already came close to messing up with Masen. I had smacked Emmett in the back of the head, many times over the years, never thinking twice about it. But that one slap scared Masen. He though that I was no better than that asswipe. I was surprised that it was Bella that jumped to my defense first.

I will do anything to prove that I will be there for them and make up to Bella and Masen the time that I've missed. So far Bella was firm that there will be nothing between us anymore. It worried me that I had my work cut out for me, not just because of how Alec treated her like shit, but how she was still hurting over what I did. Maybe I wasn't any better than the asswipe.

I sighed and turned in my seat.

"Emmett, would you like me to drive for a while?" I offered since I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep.

"Naw, I'm fine. Unlike you, I got sleep last night. Beside you look a little too preoccupied to be driving anywhere." He didn't take his eyes off the road. "Get some sleep, it will be better in the morning. The worst is over, right?"

"Right," I sighed. I looked over again at Masen sleeping. The hair on his forehead seemed sticky from sweat and it wasn't that warm in the car. He also seemed to be breathing heavy and funny.

I reached out and touched his forehead. His skin felt scorching under my hand.

I reached across and shook Bella gently. She jumped with a start and slammed against the opposite door. Her eyes were wide and panicked, she looked around like a startled rabbit before she saw me with my hand stretched out. She took a deep breath and visibly calmed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I apologized, feeling like shit that I scared her. "I think something is wrong with Masen. He feels like he is burning up," I explained hastily.

**A/N: Just the letters mainly in this chapter. The second letter she vented all her frustrations to him. Otherwise she was trying to have a cordial relationship with her son's father. She didn't want any animosity between them, like Renée has for Charlie. She also knows even if Edward broke up with her, he's still a good person.**

**Alec came into the picture between the second and third letter so she was about 3.5 to 4 months pregnant at the time. He came across as a good guy at first, so he wasn't always abusive. Bella didn't lie about that in the letters. **

**A few asked about Alice. She left for collage like planned in N.Y. She was there for the birth of Masen. As to where is she, now all I'm going to say is since Alec killed Charlie do you think Bella would let him anywhere near Alice if she could help it?**

**Everyone seems convinced that was Emmett's fault for the letters. Although he is acting very guilty. Is he? You will all find out in a later chapter. **

**Bella and Edward will talk things out. But not in a car with a three year old boy that can overhear them. **

**Thank You For All the Wonderful Reviews**

**If you haven't yet check out the Wonkyward contest. Especially if like adorable and wonky Edwards. Voting is open now until Sept. 14****th****. Fanfiction u/5838443 /Wonkyward-Contest.**

**LB  
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Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

"**I have a grandson?" my father murmured. **

"**Do you? It seems that you and mom just rejected him before he was born." I bitterly retorted.**

"**That's not fair. We didn't know." He grew upset.**

"**But you should've. How could you honestly think something so horrible of Bella? You know her. You used to joke about keeping her and getting rid of me if we broke up. What did mom say to her?" He was silent for a while.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch: 5**

**(EPOV)**

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I apologized, feeling like shit that I scared her. "I think something is wrong with Masen. He feels like he is burning up," I explained hastily. _

She didn't wait until I was finished speaking before she sat straight up and her hand was on his forehead. She frowned before she bent down to dig through her bag. She pulled out something I didn't recognized, it looked like some sort of thermometer. She placed it to his forehead until it beeped.

"102.2." She frowned. "Has he been coughing a lot?" she asked.

"A little bit but not worse than earlier," I answered thinking back.

"What kind of cough? Does he sound congested?" she asked, while she felt his glands.

"Deep, slightly hacking." I wasn't too sure how to tell the difference. "Should we wake him and give him something?" I asked in concern. I felt so lost to what to do. I was vaguely aware that Jasper had woken up and had turned in his seat. He was watching us curiously.

"If he can sleep that is the best thing. Do you have the stuff I asked you to get for him? We are probably going to need it eventually." she asked.

I reached behind me and grabbed a bag from Target.

"I know you want to avoid hospitals but I could give my father a call," I suggested. My finger was already over the button.

Bella frowned, not looking very happy at all with the idea.

"I don't think waking him up at four in the morning is a very good idea. Besides, isn't he an orthopedic surgeon? Not to mention do you really want to involve them in this mess?" She didn't look at me as she took Jasper's sweatshirt that she had used earlier, making a makeshift blanket for Masen.

"Well, no, but I'm just concerned." I sighed, I rested the phone on my lap.

"Masen has been sick before this. Right now there isn't much we can do besides letting him rest and make sure that when he wakes up in a few hours that he gets plenty of liquids. If he starts having troubling breathing or if his fever goes over 103 that's when we should find a doctor." Bella stayed patient with me.

"Ok, but I should call my parents eventually. I'm sure they would like to know that they have a grandson," I carefully mentioned.

Bella stiffened and gave me a curt nod. She turned away and looked out the window on her side. I took a deep breath not sure if I should proceed, but felt I had to say something.

"I read the letters, Bella," I informed her softly.

She stiffened again but she didn't reply.

"I have many questions. Like what exactly did my mother say to you? How could you compare Alec to me?" I asked.

"This isn't the time nor the place for these questions," her voice was hard and cold like it was the other day. Her defenses were up and I doubted that I would get anything from her today.

"So you're not going to answer any of my questions," I huffed in irritation, perhaps too loudly since Masen shifted in his seat.

"I didn't say we couldn't talk about it ever, just not now. Not with Masen right there, who could wake up and hear things he shouldn't," she retorted turning to glare at me.

There were tears in her eyes. I wasn't sure at the moment what kind they were; if it meant she was mad or sad.  
"Okay." I let it go for the moment. "One thing though. I never told my parents why we broke up. When they asked, I told them I didn't want to talk about it. I'm sorry that they got the wrong idea," I apologized for at least that much.

More moisture filled her eyes. She closed them and turned her head. I sighed heavily and looked out my window. We were in Oregon now so we should reach Forks before noon since we were making good time.

"Hey, Edward, could I see those letters?" Jasper asked.

"Fine with me, but you should ask Bella," I answered him, gathering up the letters.

I glanced at Bella who was still staring out her window into the black. "Bella?" I prompted, she shrugged giving me no verbal response. I handed them over the seat to Jasper.

Jasper took them but he eyed Bella looking uncertain. "Are you sure Bella? If it's too personal, I won't," Jasper asked cautiously.

"It's fine," Bella's answered, I could tell she was still crying.

"Bella, I promise that when I speak to my parents I am going to set them straight." She huffed when I said 'promise'. "I will," I insisted with vigor. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. What would I have to do to earn her trust again?

**LB**  
The silence in the car was nearly deafening, so when Jasper spoke again it startled me.

"You didn't meet Alec until after you already started writing Edward?" he questioned.

"I said I really didn't want to talk about this now." Bella glared at him then tilted her head at Masen. Jasper looked over at Masen still sound asleep in his seat.

"I'm not going that into it. I just wanted to know when he showed up," Jasper explained.

"I don't know. I was about four months pregnant, end of September maybe beginning of October." She shrugged.

"Did he know that you wrote to Edward?" Jasper asked, he was looking at the envelopes.

"No, he didn't. Only Charlie and Alice knew. Well….Rose knew about the first letter at least. Why?" Bella answered sounding mildly curious. She shifted so she was sitting forward again.

"Well, someone wrote 'return to sender' on these. In fact…never mind. If it had been a wrong address it would say so and usually it would be a stamp from the post office," Jasper replied, he looked at me.

He looked worried about it, I could tell he didn't think it was a small thing that they were sent back and never got to me. Someone really didn't want me to know that Bella was trying to contact me. I clenched my fist at my side, trying to calm myself before I woke up Masen.

"Who would do such a thing?" Bella asked. She chewed on her bottom lip.

"That's why I was thinking it was Alec," Jasper answered.

Emmett shifted in his seat and glanced at Jasper frowning. Bella shook her head.

"It wasn't him. Trust me," she said bitterly.

"How do you know?" I asked, unfortunately I think it came across too harsh, judging by the look on her face.

Her face grew dark and coldness swept over her eyes. "I just do and let's leave it at that for now. I told you I really didn't want to get into this while Masen is in hearing distance. He doesn't need to hear it or hear us fighting about it," Bella whispered harshly. She was still so stubborn.

"I'm not trying to argue with you." I tugged at my hair.

She eyed me for a moment longer before her eyes saddened.

"I'm sorry. I know you're all trying to help," she apologized. "I know it wasn't him. I mailed all the letters personally but the last one. Alice mailed that one for me, since I was in the hospital. Alec wasn't even present at the time of the birth. He was away at a conference. Alice was with me in the delivery room like planned." She played with her hands on her lap. I was secretly glad that the asswipe wasn't there for my son's birth.

"So just Alice, Rose, and Charlie knew? Do you think they would've done it?" Emmett's voice sounded unsure.

"No. Rose left right after the first letter, I haven't heard a word from her since. Alice was very encouraging of me trying to locate Edward. In fact, she thought I should've wrote more. But I didn't want to be a nuisance." Bella shook her head and her hair bounced slightly.

"You would've never been a nuisance." Maybe if she had sent more letters, one would've gotten through.

She looked at me as if she was trying to analyzing if I was telling the truth. Perhaps I need to be more understanding. Alec probably screwed up her ability to trust others and I had failed to keep an important promise. So maybe it was only right I would've to work twice as hard to get her to trust me again, instead expecting her to since I told her she should. Though I was glad to see her argue against me. It meant this piece of shit didn't beat all the fight out of her. Or that she was afraid of me too.

"And Charlie?" Jasper asked, she broke eye contact with me.

"Charlie was very upset with Edward at first. But since he had been in a similar situation he thought Edward deserved to know about Masen." Bella defended her father.

"So who does that leave?" Jasper stared at the ceiling of the car. "Didn't Heidi work in mail on base?"

I rolled my eyes in disgust. That girl was a stalker who joined the Marines to find a man and she wasn't shy about it. "I think so," I said curtly.

"Well, maybe in retaliation because of all the rejections she did it?" Jasper suggested.

"Possibility, but I never spoke to that crazy bi…" Bella cleared her voice sharply giving me a pointed look. "Girl. So she wouldn't have known about Bella. For all she knew that letter could've been from my mother."

"Does it really matter, Edward knows now," Emmett spoke up.

"Maybe not. Though it would be against the law to mess with the mail. I could still send them to Peter if you like." Jasper shrugged, but I could still see that it was bothering him.

"There was more in the second letter I would like to know about." I watched Jasper glanced quickly at Emmett with a contemplative expression. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity but Jasper shook his head.

"I was very upset in the letter. I would just ignore it." You could barely hear her voice, but the hurt was evident.

"Did you lie or stretch the truth in it?" Jasper pressed.

Bella's eyes narrowed at him. "No," she snapped.

"Jasper, maybe this could wait to later?" I cautioned. He nodded and handed the letters back. I wanted to read the second letter again to see what bothered him.

Before I could get past the second sentence, Masen started to cough hard enough to wake himself.

"Momma…" he whimpered. "My head hurts." He started coughing again and he didn't sound good.

"Edward, could you grab some water, please?" Bella reached in the bag and pulled up a bottle of medicine and the patches for the forehead that was supposed to reduce fevers and help with headaches.

I reached into the back and dragged the cooler closer so I could open it easier. I pulled out a water and opened it. I held out to Masen.

"Here you go, little buddy." He let go of his frog and took the bottle with a shaky hand. I ended up holding on to it and held it up for him to take a drink.

"Tank you." He started coughing hard immediately. The poor little guy just looked miserable and I felt so lost on how to help him.

"You're welcome." I ruffled his hair.

"What about the nebulizer?" I asked Bella.

"I only go to that if he starts wheezing or has trouble breathing." I put the bottle down since he looked ready to pass out again. Bella handed him his frog and kissed his forehead.

"If you want to get some more sleep I will keep an eye on him." I offered.

"Thank you, but I'm good. Sorry that he is so cranky. He only gets this way when he is sick." Bella looked a bit remorseful. She was continuously apologizing for something out of her control, part of me wondered if it was also Alec's doing.

"You don't need to apologize to any of us, Bella. I don't blame him for being cranky since he's sick and stuck in a car, not his own bed." I brushed it off. "Besides, Emmett is worse when he's sick." She gave me a tiny smile.

**LB**

A few hours later we stopped at a small doughnuts shop. Bella took Masen to the bathroom to change while the guys decided to order for the rest of us. I stayed out by the car and used the time to call up my father.

"Good morning, son, have you boys reached L.A., yet?" he asked, thinking that I was checking in.

"No, actually we are in Washington State, a few hours away from Forks." I informed him, I turned and leaned against the car so I could be on the lookout incase Bella and Masen returned.

"I see." His voice sounded a bit off, as if he was trying to contemplate something.

"Why didn't you or mom tell me?" I tried to hold back on the accusations.

There was a long pause then a sigh. "We didn't want to upset you."

"She was pregnant with my baby, I had a right to know," I stated bluntly.

"Edward, I'm sorry to tell you this, but the baby isn't yours. People were saying…" I interrupted him. I was shocked that they believed the people of the town over Bella.

"I know for a fact that the baby is mine. For one, Bella would never had cheated on me nor was she the type to ever just have a rebound." I defended her right away. "I also have seen my son with my own eyes. He's practically a carbon copy of me minus his nose," I said emotionally.

"I have a grandson?" my father murmured.

"Do you? It seems that you and mom just rejected him before he was born," I bitterly retorted.

"That's not fair. We didn't know." He started to get upset.

"But you should've. How could you honestly think something so horrible of Bella? You know her. You used to joke about keeping her and getting rid of me if we broke up. What did mom say to her?"

He was silent for a while.

"She confronted Bella in the supermarket. She accused her of betraying and hurting you then called her a slut. She also said that the baby was an abomination and bastard. That Bella was no better than her mother," he admitted. "She felt horrible about it afterwards. When she reacted she was acting like a mother bear protecting her cub. She thought you had been hurt."

"She should feel horrible. She knew Bella and was better to Bella than her own mother. Bella's none of those things and I can't understand for the life of me how mom drew the conclusions about her." I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. No wonder Bella was so upset and reluctant towards my parents.

"How did you find out?" he asked.

"We ran into her in Phoenix. She had tried to reach me, but her letters kept getting returned before I could open them. I have them now." I didn't want them to think she hadn't tried. "The situation she was in was deplorable. The guy she was with has been abusing her for years. When she tried to run, he killed Charlie." I confided in him. He sucked in his breath sharply.

"We heard about Charlie, but…Is she alright and the boy?" he asked, I heard him slip into doctor mode.

"She's alive, but hurt and scared. It took the three of us to convince her to let us help her get away. After what happened to Charlie she was too afraid to try to get help again. Our son, his name is Masen. He is three, Bella swears that the guy never touched him, but just ignore his presence. I'm actually calling about Masen, I'm worried because he is sick. It's probably nothing major but it still concerns me."

"I'm not a pediatrician but what are his symptoms?" Dad was in full doctor mode now.

I gave him a brief rundown of the symptoms and everything we were doing.

"Well, it sound like a simple cold or virus to me. Just keep an eye on that cough. If gets worse get medical attention. But sounds like Bella has it under control."

"Yeah, she's great with him. I'm freaking out over nothing, aren't I?" I chuckled sadly as I ran hand through my hair.

"You're acting like a first time parent. I remember the first time you scraped your knee. Your mom and I wanted to bring you to the ER. Your grandmother laughed at us and told us just stick a band-aide on it. I'm a doctor and I still overreacted. It's normal." He chuckled. "If it makes you feel better, I can come check him out and I also have some friends still at the hospital that we can keep it on the down low. I know your mother is going to want to be on the first plane once she knows about Masen." He offered and I hesitated.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. This guy could show up at any time. Plus after what mom said to Bella, she owes her a huge apology before anything else. Right now she's not comfortable with mom being around."

"You're right. But we both owe her that apology, we should've talked to her in a private setting about everything. All we knew is that when you left you were so upset."

"I broke up with her for the record. I didn't want to, but I thought it was for the best. Now I wish I could just go back and relive that day," I admitted.

"Everyone has days they wish they could redo. I know that I do. But unfortunately we can't. We just need to go forward and strive to do better," he advised.

"I just hope she will give me the chance," I sighed. I saw her and Masen emerge from the store. I knew that I had to wrap things up. "I've got to go, but just so you know we plan on going to our house in Forks. We figured that was the safest place."

"Alright, let me know if we can do anything." We said our good-byes and hung up. Bella approached slowly holding Masen's hand across the parking lot. He looked pale and slightly ridiculous in Jasper's hoodie, which went down to his feet. He looked like he might fall back asleep while standing up.

"The guys will be right out," Bella told me as she handed me a bag. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold.

I tossed the bag in the back and pulled out my own hoodie. "You look cold." I offered it to her.

She looked at it for a moment before taking it. "Thank you. I guess I got a little to use to Arizona. I forgot what Washington was like," she said shyly as she slipped it on.

I couldn't help liking it was mine she was wearing not Jasper's.

"Daddy," Masen pulled at my hand, I looked down at him. "Can we watch the doggy movie? Pease" his puppy dog eyes were killer.

"Ahh" I looked at Bella for help, I still didn't know where to stand on that.

She smirked and nodded.

"Sure, little buddy, we can check it out." I agreed and opened the door for him. He crawled into his seat.

"He will probably fall back sleep, so I doubt he will get scared. I can't wait for the day that Alice meets Masen and he turns those eyes on her. It will be revenge for all the times that she forced me to go shopping." Bella smirked before heading to the opposite side.

"What happened to Alice?" I asked nonchalantly.

Bella's eyes looked pained for a moment before she pushed it away.

"She never liked Alec much. She thought I should stay away from him and he thought I should stay away from her. By the time I found out who Alec really was I was afraid he would do something to her so I kept pushing her away." She seemed full of regret.

"I'm sorry, love."

The sadness melted away and her eyes went vacant. "Don't call me love." She opened her car door and sat down. I sighed before joining them in the car.

"Just so you know, I just talked to my father. I set him straight about everything."

She nodded with a grim smile as she got Masen situated in his seat.

"Okay," she just shrugged before choosing one of the Scooby movies for me to put in. I could tell she was still closing herself off about it, but I was going to stand by her on this one.

**LB**

We arrived in Forks just before noon. Masen was once again out, his coughing was worse and his fever was back up. His breathing was also starting to sound more labored.

"We can set up my old room for him. The couch is a pullout so he can sleep there and you can have my bed. I'll take one of the guest's rooms." I suggested. As Jasper pulled to a stop under some trees near the house.

"That would be great, thank you." Bella smiled shyly. She moved to open the door, but Jasper stopped her.

"Hold on, you and Masen wait here while we check it out. I swear I saw something move on the porch." Jasper looked alert and ready. He was trying to peer into the shadows.

"I don't see anything. It was probably just a squirrel." Emmett squinted into the dark.

I had seen something move too. "That's too big to be a squirrel." I placed a hand on the door. I glanced back at Bella. She gave me a worried look as she let go of the door.

"Stay here. If anything happens get you and Masen out of here. Don't worry about us. Head for the Canadian border. I'll leave you my cell and you can call my parents for help." I handed her my phone. She took it with a shaking hand and held it to her chest. "Please be careful…for Masen." She bit her lip. I nodded and glanced at the guys.

"Let's do this, but if it's a squirrel you both are treating on pizza and beer." Emmett tried to make light of the situation. Jasper handed me my gun that we had kept locked in the glove box to keep them safe from Masen.

We opened our doors and cautiously made our way to the house while surveying the area.

"Show yourself, you're trespassing on private property. Come out willingly or we will shoot." Jasper yelled out. The three of us raised our guns to be ready.

A figure appeared at the top of the stairs and glared down at us. "Go ahead. I dare you," hazel eyes flashed as they glared at Jasper.

**A/N:**

**Hazel eyes…who could it be? **

**Many of you caught what Jasper did in the second letter. Rose claims she broke up with Emmett. Emmett told the guys he broke up with her. It's a bit of a he said, she said situation. **

**Esme and Carlisle had nothing to do with letters. They didn't know about them. Esme bitched Bella out while in mother bear mode. **

**Jasper thinks it was Alec that messed with the letters. Only a few mentioned the possibility of Alec having a hand in the letters. Most of you think that it is Emmett. **

**I had a guest review ask about Bella bringing her cell phone with her. She didn't have one until Jasper gave her the pay as you go one. Therefore Alec can't track her by one. Even if she did have one, Jasper would've made her leave it behind, because he was on top of all that. **

**Thank You For All the Reviews!**

**LB  
LB  
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**Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview:**

**I jumped when the backdoor opened, but I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Edward. He took in the scene and worry filled his face. **

"**What happened? Is he okay? Should I call 911?" He searched for his phone forgetting that he gave it to me. His worrying was starting to make Masen panic again.**

**I know I'm slightly evil today. I leave the ch. in a cliffy and then the preview is a cliffy. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch: 6**

**(BPOV)**

My heart pounded in my chest as the boys slipped out of the car with their guns ready. I could barely watch as they slowly moved towards the house. Did Alec really find us this fast? Did he figure out who Edward really was? Edward had worn a hat in the store that covered most of his hair, so I had hoped Alec didn't notice it was the same shade of Masen's.

I was debating whether or not to climb in the front seat to be ready to drive if necessary when a noise caught my attention. Masen had started coughing hard and was wheezing, his eyes were opened and he looked scared. His face was pale and his lips were starting to turn blue. He was starting to have an asthma attack. My gut told me he had heard the boys and got scared which triggered it since he was already feeling poorly.

Everything else that was going on left my mind as I grabbed his portable nebulizer. I got it ready and held it out to him in the matter of seconds. He fought me at first pushing it away.

"Masen, sweetie, it's going to be okay. Please, take your medicine, it will make me you feel better."

He cooperated and allowed me to bring it to his mouth. I held it for him since he was clenching both stuffed animals in his hands. I unbuckled him with one hand and moved the straps away from his chest. I brushed his hair away from his forehead and hummed to him. His coughing and wheezing started to calm down.

I jumped when the backdoor opened, but I let a sigh of relief out when I saw Edward. He took in the scene and worry filled his face.

"What happened? Is he okay? Should I call 911?" He searched for his phone forgetting that he gave it to me. His worry was starting to make Masen panic again.

"He will be fine, once he takes all his medicine. Please, calm down, so he stays calm." I asked him. "He's already feeling better, aren't you, Masen?" I kissed his cheek and he nodded.

He glanced at Edward and gave him a weak smile. Edward took a deep breath and ran his hand though his hair.

"Sorry." He looked sheepish. I felt sympathetic for him, since this all was so new to him. I remembered the first time Masen had an asthma attack and I had panicked. I think it was the first and only time since Alec had first started hitting me that he actually showed some compassion and called an ambulance for him. But then he needed Masen healthy so he made sure that Masen had the best healthcare possible. That included making sure I had his medicine on hand, in case of an attack without waiting for a new prescription each time he was sick.

"It scared me the first time too," I admitted. "But now we know what to do, right?" I winked at Masen who nodded. His color was looking much better. "And now we will just show your daddy what to do."

"We add his medicine here." I showed him with my freehand. "Then he needs to do this for about five minutes for him to get the complete dosage. Right now I have batteries in it but it can also be plugged in. The dosage is on the bottle," I explained.

Edward nodded as he processed the information, he picked up the bottle and examined it.

"Does he need to see a doctor afterwards?" he asked.

Masen wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction. He hated to go to the doctor's office.

"Depends on how he is doing. If his breathing is still bad, then yes. Otherwise just rest," I answered patiently.

"My dad said he still has some friends at the hospital that could help us out and keep it on the down low."

I couldn't help but frown when he mentioned his parents. Esme's words still stung to this day, but they were Masen's grandparent so I guess I needed to get past it eventually.

"So I'm guessing that it was a squirrel." I asked changing the subject.

He was here, mostly calm and I hadn't heard any gun shots. He started to chuckle and shook his head in amusement.

"Wasn't a squirrel, though it does chatter like one," he snickered.

"I heard that, Edward Cullen," a new voice spoke up. The front passenger door opened and Alice popped in and sat backwards so she could see us.

"Alice," I smiled happily, she beamed back at me.

She turned her gaze to Masen and she smiled at him.

"Hi, Masen, you probably don't remember me, but I'm your Auntie Alice. Your mom and I were…still are best friends from school days. I was actually there the day you were born," she said softly and calmly for her.

"Masen, Alice actually gave you Hoppy Froggy Longlegs when you were a baby," I explained to him.

He grinned at her and hugged the frog close.

"I'm glad you like him and gave him a great name. I'm bad with names. I was going to call him Croaky."

Masen giggled at Alice. I smiled since it was showing me that he was feeling better.

"I got a bunch of stuff for you, Masen. I went shopping and I got you a bunch of toys, so you need to feel better soon so I have someone I can trust to play with them. I would let Emmett, but I've known him since Kindergarten and I'll never forget how he broke my skip-it. I also got you some stuff for your bed. I hope I got the right stuff, I'm not used to shopping for a boy. I liked things like princesses when I was little. I'm sure you wouldn't like the same." She paused as Masen shook his head, his eyes were slightly big. "So I found…shoot…what was his name? He's from Disney and he's a red race car. Do you know who?" she acted confused, but I could tell she knew what the name was.

Masen's answer was muffled by the nebulizer, I pulled it away slightly.

"Lightening McQueen," he repeated his voice sounded raspy.

Alice snapped her fingers and smiled.

"That's it. Do you like him?"

Masen nodded his head. I checked the nebulizer and turned it off since he had gotten all the medicine.

"We should get him inside and set up in a bed. Alice, where's the stuff you got him?" I questioned.

"Already on the pullout in Edward's old room. I washed it first, so no worries there. I made sure all the rooms were aired out and had fresh linens. I figured Edward would take the guest room next to his, so I took the one on second floor and I set Emmett and Jasper up in the rec. room."

I marveled that she had done all this.

"Would you carry him in?" I asked Edward.

He gave me a quick nod.

"This is the house I was a little boy in. Once you're better, we can see if my old treehouse is in good condition. Would you like that?" he scooped Masen in to his arms.  
"Yeah," Masen answered as he rested his head on Edward's shoulder.

I was happy that Masen took instantly to him. I shook off wondering what our lives would be like if Edward got those letters and Alec was never in my life.

I stepped out of the car and went to stretch. I was in the middle of having my arms over my head when I was hit by a tiny force as she gave me a tight hug. I brought my arms down and hugged Alice back.

"I missed you, Alice," I said as she stepped back and linked her arm through mine.

"I missed you, too. Not so long next time, okay." She gave me a pointed look as she led us to the house. She paused and looked over at Jasper, who was starting at her like she was a ghost.

"Don't just stand there. You and Emmett can bring everything in for them." She gave him an incredulous look.

He nodded mutely and grabbed Emmett's arm and practically dragged him to the car.

"Go easy on him, I think he really missed you." I fought an amused smile.

Alice rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Attractive," I laughed.

She giggled as we stomped up the steps. She paused by the front door and looked over her shoulder at the boys who were still unloading.

"Well, maybe if he didn't listen to the advice from some fool then I would go easy on him. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine, but that doesn't mean I won't make him work for it." She smiled sadly as we stepped aside for the guys to enter.

Jasper looked down at her to say something but she looked away aloofly. Jasper sighed and stepped into the house. Emmett followed behind him looking a bit nervous as well.

"What advice did he listen to?" I was curious. Alice rolled her eyes and her lips formed a thin line.

"The same advice Edward did. But you should ask him about it and get it firsthand rather than having me tell you." Alice insisted. "So enough about me. What about you? How long are you going to make Edward work for it?" She raised an eyebrow and glanced at me with a questioning look.

"I'm not making him work for anything. I want him to be a father to Masen," I answered. However that didn't seem to be the answer that Alice was looking for or wanted as she shook her head and stared into the woods.

"I wasn't talking about him stepping up as a father. I was talking about you and him as lovers or what have you," Alice stated. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at me.

"I can't…we won't be that way again. I will get along with him for Masen's sake but that's it." I stepped forward and leaned against the railing. She sighed and stepped forward with me.

"I think you should give him another chance. He still loves you, it's as plain as day in his eyes. It's still in your eyes too, you love him." She leaned back on her legs but held onto the railing in a stretch.

"I can't. I don't trust him anymore," I whispered.

"If that was the case then you wouldn't trust him with Masen either. It's not that you don't trust him, it's that you're afraid to trust him." She pulled forward and leaned against the railing next to me.

"Isn't that the same thing?" I traced the pattern in the wood.

"Not always. He made a mistake that he regrets. Let him fix it, sometimes you just got to jump. I know that he will catch you. Don't fault him forever for listening to some shitty advice." Before I could ask about what advice, there was a loud noise as Emmett stumbled down the front stairs and landed on his hands and knees on to the sand and gravel.

"Are you alright?" I asked, surprised seeing him on the ground.

He stood up and brushed himself off.

"Yeah, I must have just been around you for too long and your clumsiness has rubbed off." He turned to us slightly red faced.

"Funny," I rolled my eyes.

Alice just stared at him not looking amused.

"I'm heading out to do the food shopping." He started back to the car.

"I already did it," Alice answered flatly as she examined her nails.

"Did you get beer?"

"Of course." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Apple juice? Masen likes a certain kind," Emmett fished.

"Apple &amp; Eve." she glanced at me and I nodded.

"Snacks for the little guy?"

I looked at him strangely. Was it just me or was he acting weirder than normal.

"Did you forget about me completely? I got everything we need, I saw it all." Alice glared at him bluntly for second guessing her.

She and Emmett had a stare off for a moment.

"Pizza," he blurted out.

"Freezer," Alice retorted.

My eyes started volleying back and forth between them.

"I was looking for something fresher and hot now. I will go get everyone pizza and fill the gas tank." With that he spun on his heels and hurried to SUV.

I waited until I saw the taillights in the driveway before I turned to her. She was looking upset and had her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What was that all about?" I had to ask.

Alice was quiet for moment, the anger melted away and she just looked sad.

"Nothing. I'm just on edge I guess from seeing Jasper again." She lied, but I decided maybe it was best to just let it go.

"Okay…" I answered warily. "So how did you know that we were coming here?"

She smirked as she answered. "Are you questioning my ability to see all, too?" she teased, I knew she wasn't really mad. Her smile fell away. "Well I guess I can't see everything or else I would've known about Alec sooner."

"Alice, nothing he did was your fault." I touched her arm.

She smiled sadly and looked me be back in the eye.

"Nothing he did is your fault either. He had us all fooled, I didn't see it until it too late." Alice patted my hand. "I wished I've could have done more to help you, but after what happened to Charlie I knew you wouldn't let me. I still tried to though. I sent some people to try and help."

"That was you?" I thought about when I was approached by three FBI agents. Alec had been so angry when he found out. I still saw them around the neighborhood. "I couldn't tell them anything they wanted. They wanted evidence that he was dealing drugs but he just sells insurance as far as I know."

"I think he has had you fooled, his family is part of a drug ring, the authorities just haven't been able to prove it yet. His father Aro is the suspected boss," Jasper spoke up from behind us.

I spun around to see him leaning against the open door.

"What?" My mouth dropped open, how naive have I been? "You guys have to leave before he hurts any of you." I was alarmed that they were all in danger because of me now.

"None of us are going anywhere." Alice shook her head and gave me a sideways hug.

"We are going to keep you and Masen safe," Jasper promised. I wanted to argue about their safety but I knew it was going to fall on deaf ears.

"Masen, is looking for you. I think he's hungry." Jasper informed me.

I felt guilty that I hadn't helped Edward get him settled.

"He's fine. They're in Edward's old room watching _Cars_." Jasper smiled gently sensing that I was upset.

"I bought several types of chicken noddle soup. Would you like me to heat some up as you check on him?" Alice offered.

"That would be great. Stars if you got it and an ice cube in it. Juice too if you don't mind." I accepted her offer.

She nodded and slipped by Jasper to enter the house. Jasper watched her and sighed.

"She still hates me, doesn't she?" He looked after her longingly.

"She doesn't hate you."

He gave me a hopeful look before gesturing for me to enter. I slowly made my way up to the third floor.

I paused by the doorway and looked in on them. The couch was pulled out into a bed and Masen was changed into some Car pajamas. Edward had changed to and was sitting up beside him in bed.

Not much had changed in Edward's room, it was still filled with tons of memories.

_We had been dating about a month when Edward invited me over for dinner one Saturday at his house. His parents had been very nice and welcoming. _

_We were waiting in his room for dinner to be ready. I was staring at his vast collection of CDs._

"_You like Classical?" I asked in surprise. _

_He came up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder, his arms wrapped around my waist. _

"_Are you making fun of me?" He kissed my cheek sweetly._

"_No, I'm just surprised. I didn't think anyone our age did." I pulled out a CD and handed it to him to play. He moved to his CD player and opened the case to slip the CD in. He hit play and the room filled with Debussy. _

"_Would you like to dance?" He held out his hand to me. _

"_I think you will regret that. Klutz remember." I pointed to myself._

"_I'll take my chances." He stepped closer pulling me into his embrace. We started to sway to the music. The moment was almost perfect until I tripped over his feet. He tried to catch me and we both ended up his on couch in a heap laughing. _

"_I warned you," I laughed trying to stand up, but he pulled me on to his lap. _

"_So you did." he smiled softly. His hand cupped my face and his thumb brushed my cheek. He leaned in and kissed my deeply. Just as his tongue licked my lower lip there was a loud clearing of the throat at his door. _

_We both shot straight up and Edward held on to me so I didn't fall off his lap._

"_Dinner is ready, kids." Carlisle was in the doorway looking at us amused. _

"_We will be right there." Edward cleared his throat and answered. His ears were as red as my face probably was. Carlisle nodded then walked away chuckling._

"_Oh, how embarrassing," I covered my face with my hands. "What are your parents going to think about me now?" I was mortified about being caught. _

_I felt a tug at my hands. Edward gently pulled my hands from my face._

"_Only good things, I promise." He kissed my nose._

How wrong he was about that.

"Are you alright?" Edward snapped me out of my thoughts. He was watching me with concern.

"Fine. Just tired from the long trip." I half lied. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" I went to Masen's side and felt his forehead. He still felt warm.

"I hungee." He stated without taking his eyes off of the screen.

I was glad he had appetite since he didn't really eat breakfast.

"Auntie Alice is making you some soup, okay."

He didn't really answer since he was absorbed in his cartoon. He looked pale, but his breathing sounded okay.

"Edward, maybe if it isn't too much trouble, your father's friend can see him here if it can be off the record, just to double check."

"Sure, I'll give him a call. If you want to take a shower and freshen up, I can stay with him. Then maybe we can switch." Edward offered.

I only briefly hesitated before I agreed. After being in a car for over day I needed one.

"A hot shower sounds nice." I looked around for the bags the guys got. I was mildly curious what they bought me. I usually wore long sleeves and pants to hide the bruises from Alec. _  
_"It looks like Alice bought you a bunch of stuff too. The bags are over there by the desk. She probably did a better job then what we did." Edward pointed toward his old desk.

"Thank you." I smile politely.

I headed to the bags and chose a long sleeve burgundy top and black lounge pants. Though it was June it could still be chilly, especially after being used to Arizona heat. That and I knew I had some visible scars that I was uncomfortable with anyone seeing.

Inside the bathroom, Alice had already set up things for us. I smiled when I saw the children's shampoo, bath wash, tub toys and color bath tablets to change the water different colors. She had some freesia bath wash that I used to love, but hadn't used in a long time. Also, shampoo for wavy hair like mine.

On the counter, I noticed a bottle of skin care lotion that claimed that was good for scars. There was also stuff for Edward since the guest room shared a bathroom. Alice had thought of everything.

**A/N: **

**I know it's Monday and I updated as a surprise. I figured it was only fair since I left the last chapter as a cliffy then the preview was a cliffy too.**

**As many of you have guessed Alice was on the steps. How did she know to meet them there? She's Alice. jk. She explains how in another chapter. She upset with Emmett due to his horrible advice to the guys. She's also going to make Jasper to work for it. **

**Masen's asthma attack is based on how my older sister described my nephew's when he gets sick. She said he only gets them when he is sick. She didn't say it was **_**bronchitis though she refer to it as a bad cold. I did my best with the research provided online. From what I found, it isn't necessary to bring them to the emergency room unless they don't show signs of improvement. They are going to have doctor come check him out though. No worries. **_

**I'm still planning on updating on Friday like normal. The next chapter is already with my husband who is my Beta. I don't mention him each chapter, because I think he a little shy to admit that he's involved in the Twilight universe. But he is a great help, especially when it comes to the male pov. **

**LB  
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**Preview Alert.**

**LB  
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**LB**

**Preview:**

**We sat in silence waiting for the other to speak. I opened my bottle of water and gulped down about a third of the bottle. I took a deep breath and finally broke the ice. **

"**Where should we start?" I was thinking either when she found out she was pregnant, or met Alec or when he first hit her.**

"**How about from the beginning. Alice mentioned you received bad advice and you broke up with me. What advice was that or who from?" she asked, her eyes were filled with questions and hurt while her soda sat next to her unopened. I was caught off guard not thinking I would have to explain myself first, but in the end it did seem right. To gain her forgiveness I had to have everything out in the open. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH: 7**__**(EPOV)**

My dad's friend, Carmen, had come to check Masen out last night. She had said his lungs sounded clear and basically to keep doing what we were doing. She also worked with a women's shelter so she understood our reason to stay discrete. I appealed to Alice for help and she convinced Bella to let Carmen check her as well, since I didn't think Bella would listen to me. I was glad to see she was barely limping anymore.

Bella and I took turns through-out the night checking on Masen. Both of us were a little paranoid he might have another asthma attack. However, he seemed to be fine and by morning his temperature was back to normal. Bella still wanted to give him a quiet morning, so we didn't rush his recovery.

I had been watching Masen play with his lunch for the last few minutes and he hadn't taken a bite. His eyes were drooping, so I figured he wasn't going to eat any more.

"Masen, are you done?" I asked.

He nodded and I picked up the tray and brought it to my desk. When I turned around Masen was right behind me.

"Where are you going?" I asked looking down at him.

"I ready," he stated confidently.

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"To go see the treehouse." He coughed slightly.

"I think you're supposed to be resting, little buddy." I frowned. I hated to disappoint him. The lip came out and it wobbled.

"But you said you take me when I feel better. I feel better now." He coughed again.

"I did promise, but you're still coughing. I don't think it's a good idea to take you outside." I held my ground.

"But I tired of resting. I wanna do something fun. Pease." He unleased the puppy dog eyes. I had to look away and I spotted some of the toys Alice got.

"I'll tell you what, you hang out with Auntie Alice and try to take a nap while I talk with your mom. When you wake up we can check out the toys Auntie Alice got for you." He paused thinking about it.

"I got this game called Candyland. I loved that game when I was your age." Alice saved me as she came into the room and picked up the tray.

"Is there real candy in it?" Masen's eyes grew as big as his head.

"No, but what I do have, if you eat all your supper, is stuff to make ice cream sundaes." Alice smiled.

"Can I have ice cream now," Masen's eyes danced with excitement. He started to hop up and down until he started to cough.

"After dinner. The deal is nap then game, dinner then ice cream." I was proud of myself for holding my ground against his pout. I just hoped Bella was okay with my decision.

"Okay," Masen shrugged. He climbed into bed and settled in.

I turned off the TV.

"I'll be right back." Alice left with the tray.

I heard the bathroom door open and Bella stepped out dressed but hair still wet. She looked over at the bed and smiled. "Oh good, he's taking a nap. Did he eat okay?"

I glanced and was surprised Masen was out like a light. That was fast, and he said he wasn't tired.

"He ate about half. Look, Bella, I was hoping that we could talk while Masen was asleep. Alice said she would sit with Masen in case he wakes up."

She chewed on her bottom lip looking nervous. Alice reentered the room and tossed Bella a light sweater.

"Go. I don't mind staying in here in case he wakes up." Alice grabbed a magazine before she sat at my old desk.

"Okay, I guess we need to get this over with." She slipped on the light sweater. Since she was used to Arizona's heat she was chillier than normal.

"Did Bella show you how to use the nebulizer in case he has trouble again?" I asked rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans. I was nervous about the upcoming conversation as well as Masen having another problem.

Both girls looked to me in surprise.

"She showed me. Stop worrying, he is fine. And it's not like you two are going very far anyways." Alice gave me an encouraging look.

"Ok, ready?" I asked looking at Bella. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"I guess as much as I will be." She admitted walking towards the door of the room. I followed behind her like a lost puppy.

**LB**

We were halfway down the steps when she tripped, and I reflexively caught her. She jumped at first when my arm wrapped around her waist and she breathed in sharply. I waited until she had a firm grip on the railing before I let go of her.

"Sorry," I apologized, since I knew she seemed to react to being grabbed.

"Don't be, I'm sorry. I'm so jumpy." She gave me a meek smile as she continued down the stairs without incident.

Jasper was sitting in the living room watching the news. He looked up at us when we reached the main floor.

"Emmett's still not back?" I asked in concern. He went to Tacoma first thing this morning to exchange our rental car for a new one.

"Nope. He's not answering his phone either." Jasper frowned as he replied. I scratched my head in concern. It wasn't like him to pull a vanishing act like this.

"If he's not back before dark, I will see if Peter can put a trace on his cell. Some good news though. Alec has checked into his hotel two days ago and doesn't seem to be any the wiser. As far we can tell he hasn't accessed the cameras at the house in Phoenix." He informed us looking at us both in turn.

"Good, I hope it stays that way." Bella twisted her hand nervously.

"Would you like to talk out on the back deck? No one will disturb us there." I suggested.

"Sure," She walked through the back to the kitchen.

She went over to the fridge and opened the door. My eyes glued to her small but plump ass as she bent over. She looked behind her and caught my eyes. I felt my ears burn in slight embarrassment as I diverted my eyes.

"Would you like anything? Alice has got beer, juice, water and soda in here?" she offered.

"Water, please." I grabbed an apple off the counter. I wanted to keep my mind as clear as possible during this conversation.

She handed me a water bottle and our fingers grazed. I felt the tiny sparks tingle up my arm. She didn't flinch this time, but blushed slightly. She let go of the bottle. She headed to the door and slid open the door before she stepped out onto the deck. The day was warm for Forks and the sun was actually out, which if you lived here you would know that wasn't normal. She took a seat on the bench and I dragged the other bench over so I could be facing her.

We sat in silence waiting for the other to speak. I opened my bottle of water and gulped down about a third of the bottle. I took a deep breath and finally broke the ice.

"Where should we start?" I was thinking either when she found out she was pregnant, or met Alec or when he first hit her.

"How about from the beginning. Alice mentioned you received bad advice and you broke up with me. What advice was that or who from?" she asked, her eyes were filled with questions and hurt while her soda sat next to her unopened.

I was caught off guard not thinking I would have to explain myself first, but in the end it did seem right. To gain her forgiveness, I had to have everything out in the open.

"Well, the advice came from Emmett," I explained sheepishly.

Her eyebrows raised to her hairline and she looked like she couldn't quite believe it at first. Her shock melted away to anger and hurt.

"I see. So you really did break up with me so you could be free to hook-up with whoever you wanted whenever you wanted." She practically spat at me. Tears filled her eyes that I recognized to be her angry tears.

"No, course not," I answered quickly. I couldn't help but feel offended by the insinuation.

"Well, all I know is that when Rose told Alice and me about when she broke up with Emmett, that he got all angry and informed her that she had been holding him back anyways, and she did him a favor because there were a ton of girls that would enjoy a man in uniform, and the best thing about it was that it would be with no strings attached." Bella huffed crossing her arms in front of her. I frowned when I realized why she jumped to that conclusion.

"That's wasn't the reason why. I haven't been with anyone but you. I haven't even kissed another girl since you, let alone had sex. I thought you knew me better than that." I tried to stay cool and not defensive.

"I thought I did too, but everything changed that day." The anger melted but she still looked very upset.

"Did you say that Rose broke up with Emmett?" Something clicked in my brain. I suddenly recalled she mentioned it before in one of her letters but I had overlooked it. Was that what Jasper caught and wondered about?

"As far as I know. It was about a week after you guys left that she told Alice and me she broke up with him. She said she didn't want to be tied to a long distance relationship," Bella answered dismissively.

"Emmett told me and Jasper that he broke up with her." I was confused and something about this really bothered me.

"I don't know what to tell you. Apparently, it's a case of he said, she said." Bella shrugged. "So if it wasn't to be with other girls then what was it?"

I ran both hands through my hair then rested my forearms on my knees.

_I arrived back home after dropping Bella off. I would leave in a few days for basic training. Making love to her in our meadow was bitter sweet since I didn't know when we would get the chance again. _

_I was surprised to see Emmett pacing on my porch when I pulled up. He stopped pacing when he saw me and approached the car. _

"_Hey what are you doing here?" I asked stepping out of my car._

"_I just broke up with Rose!" he blurted out._

"_What?" I stopped in shock. _

_Emmett had been head over heels for Rose since about fifth grade. _

"_Yup, and it was the best thing I ever did. Now I'm free to date anyone I want whenever I want." He smiled but something seemed off. "In fact, I think you and Jazz should do the same."_

"_You want me to break up with Bella? Are you crazy? I love her. I'm not going to break up with her. She's my everything. In fact, I plan on proposing at the bus stop before we leave." I looked at him as if he was crazy._

"_You're making a huge mistake, bro." Emmett shook his head._

"_I disagree. If you want to end things with Rose that is fine for you, but don't look for me to follow suit." I started to walk around him._

"_I'm just looking out for the both of you. Long distance relationships are hard as fuck. You'll be gone all the time and she will be at college with guys just chomping at the bit to ask her out. Next thing you know, you'll be getting a 'Dear, John letter'." I whirled around on him._

"_Bella would never do that to me," I hissed. _

"_Not on purpose. But she's sweet and very pretty, so you have to know the guys will be asking her out," He shrugged. _

"_Go home, Emmett, before I kick your ass," I snarled. I turned again, my hand was on the railing when he called out._

"_If not for you, do it for her." I turned and narrowed my eyes._

"_Are you high?" I asked. I couldn't understand his peculiar behavior or why he cared so much._

"_Of course not. But think about the danger we are about to head towards. Hell, we might not make it back. What would that do to her if she loses you like that? At least, if you break up with her she will have a chance to move on before she loses you permanently." I clenched the railing with in my hand. It was like he was witness to my nightmares that had plagued me for the last month. "At least think about what is best for her." Emmett turned and got on his car and left. _

_In the middle of the night I woke up in a cold sweat from yet another nightmare. It was then that I made the worst decision of my life. _

"If you want me to be honest with you, you need to be honest with me," she sounded impatient.

"I'm getting there. I realize how saying I followed the advice from Emmett sounds, but it was only the tip of the iceberg. There was more to it than that." I took a deep breath then another swig of water. "See, Emmett told us the main reason he broke up with Rose was because a long distance relationship would just hurt them both. He was afraid that being gone from her for so long, that she would find someone new or how hurt she would be if he never made it back," I explained.

"First off, I wouldn't dump you and find someone new because you were overseas. I loved you too much to do that to you," she argued.

"Not on purpose, you wouldn't have, but it could've happened."

She shook her head stubbornly.

"Then, there was the matter that if you had moved on, then you would never be hurt by anything that might have happened to me." I looked at my feet. "All those movies Alice made us watch, like _Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor, _to commemorate the fact we joined the service started to weigh on my mind. I started having these horrible dreams and woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats. I kept dreaming that I had died but it was like watching from outside and I would see what it would do to you and to my parents. I couldn't do anything about my parents, but I thought I could push you away to save you from the pain."

The pain in her eyes was evident that I had been wrong, and I had hurt her anyways. She gave me a sad smile.

"You're wrong you know. I loved you. It still would've hurt to know something happened to you. I worried about you every day that you were gone. When those letters got sent back to me, I thought something happened to you and that is why you never opened them." She sniffled a little before turning her hurt gaze to the woods. I saw a couple of tears run down her cheeks. My heart twisted, it would've been one thing if she was mad, but it was obvious that I had just hurt her more.

"I wish I had received them too. When I think about how much I missed out on in Masen's life, or how you might not have gotten together with Alec, it kills me. I still and will always love you, Bella. I know that if you give us a chance we can make it work, and you would never regret it," I pleaded.

A few tears fell faster and she wiped them away.

"I can't make promises like that. I'm in no condition to get into any relationship right now. I'm broken and I need to get myself together for me and for Masen before I add anyone else. And the truth is… I'm still very hurt by what you did, even if it was for good intentions. I'm sorry," she said in a choked whisper.

My heart clenched seeing her so sad. I nodded and got slightly choked up myself.

"No need to apologize, lo…Bella. You're right. You have been through a lot of shit and I was being selfish. I will wait until you're ready. In the meantime, I will be whatever you need me to be." She wiped her face again, before giving me a watery smile.

**LB**

"Tell me about Alec and how he entered the picture." The smile dropped as she visibly paled and tensed. I stretched across and opened her soda and handed it to her. She took it with a shaky hand and took a slow sip. She put it down next to her and I caught it before it tipped over.

"I was so stupid," She mumbled berating herself.

"Don't say that, you're not stupid." I reached out, and touched her knee and she flinched slightly. I pulled back, giving her space and clasped my hands together to keep from touching her. "Have you ever talked to anyone about it?"

She shook her head.

"Then maybe you should, even if it's just to vent. I'm not going to judge, I promise." She took a deep breath and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I met Alec when I was about four, maybe four and half, months pregnant. At the time I felt so alone. Alice was in New York for school. Charlie tried after he got past that his teenage daughter was pregnant and her boyfriend was out of the picture, he even seemed excited to be a grandpa. He bought a small fishing rod and everything, insisting that he was going to teach his grandchild to fish. But he never got that chance," she sighed wistfully. "But being in Forks was unbearable once news got out that I was pregnant. There were so many untrue rumors. I hardly came home and stayed in Seattle.

I met Alec at a café that I frequent for lunch. He was nice and a perfect gentleman. He treated me a lot like you did. He was older and out of school so he traveled a bit for his job. The first few months, were fine, he never laid a hand on me. In fact, it was mostly chaste kisses and he held my hand. That's it." She looked away with a far off look in her eyes. "He proposed right before Masen was due. I thought if he could love me while I was pregnant with someone else's baby then I was lucky," she scoffed. "I didn't love him though. I cared for him at that point, but my heart still belong to…" She shook her head stopping herself.

"Things started to feel off about two months after Masen was born. He stopped picking Masen up and would barely look at him. It was about that time you could really see the red in Masen's hair and that his eyes were starting to turn green. He came home one day drunk, Masen was taking a nap and I decided to work on his baby book.

I was pasting in a copy of his birth certificate when Alec found me at the table. He blew up that Masen's last name was Cullen. He demanded that I needed to change it to his last name and name him as the father. When I refused, he struck me, knocking me out of my chair and onto the floor. I remember Masen waking up and screaming.

He demanded that I changed it again or I was going to ruin everything. I answered that Masen was your son and I had no intention of letting him think otherwise. That's when I told him that I had written to you to let you know about Masen, that's how I knew he didn't know about the letters beforehand. I told Alec he could still be a father figure, but if you came back that it was your right to be Masen's father. He didn't like that and he kicked me in the ribs cracking two. He screamed how I ruined everything he had planned…then he left." There was a brief pause as she caught her breath, I still wasn't sure how that proved he didn't know about the letters, but she seemed sure by his reaction. She also seemed to leave something out.

"As soon as he was gone. I packed a bag of the essentials and fled to Charlie's. I told him everything that had happened and I'd never seen Charlie so angry. He was going to bring me to the station the next day to file charges and get a restraining order. But Alec showed up that night with another guy. Alec shot Charlie in front of me." She started shaking and to sob. I moved to the seat next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She froze at first, but then melted into me. She cried for a few minutes before she was able to calm down.

"Alec threatened me and told me not to say a word. He said if I tried to turn him in that he would kill Masen in front of me too, only he would torture him first. He also swore to kill anyone that I turned to, just like Charlie," she choked out before losing it again.

Fury burned deep within me. I was going to mess this guy up and kill him for even thinking of harming Masen, not to mention everything he has done to Bella. He was a dead man walking. For now though, Bella needed me to comfort her, not for me to show my anger. I gently rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

"I know I should have left, but I was too scared. I was more afraid what he would do to Masen if I left then to me if I stayed. I'm sorry that you're in danger now," her voice shook as her body started to tremble until she was visibly shaking.

"Shhh, sweetheart, this wasn't your fault. The only one in danger is Alec if I ever get my hands on him. He will never lay a hand on either of you again. He will have to kill me first," I promised.

"Don't say that." She pulled away, her eyes wide and scared. "Nothing can happen to you. I…Masen can't lose you like that," she pleaded so desperately, her eyes looked wild with panic.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you. I'm not going anywhere." I brushed some tears away. My other hand rubbed her back, she took a few breaths and calmed down.

"I don't want to upset you again, but did he succeed in changing the birth certificate?" I asked cautiously.  
"No," she shook her head and still seemed calmer now. "He tried, but in order to change the father on a birth certificate a DNA test has to be done to prove it. I should tell you now that you're not on it. Not because I didn't want to acknowledge you as the father, but because it was against the law to do so without your consent. And since I couldn't reach you, it had to stay blank." She looked a little nervous at my reaction.

"Okay, then I would like to fix that as soon as possible." I was more relieved that asshole wasn't on it. I could deal with the fact that I wasn't later.

"Alec did have a false one made up, but it's not legal." Bella grimaced. She reached for her soda and took a small sip.

"Did he say why he thought you ruined everything? Not that I think that you did." I asked. Bella's eyes grew dark and she looked pissed.

"From what I've been able to put together I was targeted because I was pregnant. Apparently, his father was pressing on him to settle down and have a family so he could take over the family business. He wanted to pass Masen off as his own, but since Masen looks so much like you and has your last name, it threw a wrench in his plans. With the false birth certificate he could still pretend. He made up false excuses why we couldn't visit and his father is too sick to travel from what I understand," she explained, her mouth was in a thin line.

"Hmmm," I thought it over, if Alec was linked to the mafia like Jasper suspected then it might make sense. "I know that he physically abused you but has he ever forced himself on you." I braced myself for the answer, not really wanting to know the answer.

I was surprised when Bella started to chuckle darkly. I started to get concerned about whether she was alright since I didn't think the question called for this reaction. She was smirking when she finally answered.

"No, thank god, that was one thing he never did since the idea of being with me repulsed him." She smiled dryly. She glanced at me and her smirk only grew.

"You don't get it do you. Alec needed me and Masen to be his beard. Alec is gay," she snickered darkly.

"Huh," I muttered as it all sunk in. Everything seemed to click together, like puzzle pieces. "Are you sure?"

"Considering I found him with his pants down bent over with his 'business associate' plowing into him while another 'business associate' was pleasing his dick with his mouth, I'm quite sure. In fact, I don't think I will ever get that image out of my mind," she air quoted every time she said 'business associate'.  
"I don't think I needed the mental image." I cringed. Bella actually laughed but there was no humor in it.

"Trust is, I wish I could forgot it too." Bella wrinkled her nose and shuddered.

I reached over and squeezed her hand lightly. She didn't flinch or pull away from me.

"You're stronger than you think, you know. Charlie would be proud of you." The amusement fell from her eyes, she opened her mouth to argue, but I beat her to it. "You may not see it that way right now, but you are. You have done a great job with Masen despite the circumstances. I promise things are only going to get better from now on." I smiled at her, she blushed slightly. "Can I at least hug you?" I asked, gently.  
She hesitated before she nodded. I pulled her to me in a light hug, she tensed at first. Then I felt her relax and her arms came up and she hugged me back. Her head came down and rested against my shoulder like old times. I could feel her heart beating against my chest. We stayed like that for a while, I was waiting for her to pull away. Her breath evened out and I thought she fell asleep. I felt that maybe some progress had been made, even if it wasn't the full results I wanted.

**LB**

The porch door slid open and Jasper stuck his head out. Bella pulled away from me and wiped her eyes, they were slightly red from her crying.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Masen is asking for Edward. Alice has tried to distract him, but he said Edward promised to play a game with him when he woke up."

"I'll be right there," I called.

Jasper nodded and closed the door.

"Sorry, he was giving me a hard time about taking a nap after he ate. I promised him that I would play a game with him when he got up, since he's bored with resting. I figured it was a fair compromised since I didn't think it was a good idea for him to go outside." I hoped I didn't cross a line making him a promise.

Bella rolled her eyes and smiled. "He's your son, you can make decision like that without consulting me. However, tattoos and piercings are completely out of the question." She joked, then she smiled genuinely. "You're going to be a great father, just relax. Masen is going to love you, even if you have to put your foot down." She touched my hand encouragingly.

"Want to join us in a mean game of Candyland?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

Her lips twitched into a small smile. "Sounds good."

I stood and offered my hand to her. I'm not sure if she saw it since she didn't look up before grabbing her soda and standing.

She started for the house, when something occurred to me.

"Bella, hold a sec." She turned to look at me. "You said that he wanted Masen as an heir, but the other day you tried to get us just to take Masen and said he wouldn't care that he was missing. That isn't true is it?"

Her smile dropped from her face and a determined look appeared. "I would've done anything to ensure my baby's life, even though what it would've meant for me," she answered not batting an eye. She didn't have to elaborate, I knew she meant Alec would've killed her. She was willing to give up her life for our son. Without another word she disappeared into the house.

**A/N:**

**They had their talk. Now you know that Emmett only planted a seed in Edward's mind. He was already having nightmares of dying of there and it hurting Bella. Remember he would have been only 18 and made a foolish mistake thinking he wasn't preventing her from future pain. **

**I will reiterate Edward hasn't been with anyone since Bella. I hinted to this before it preface where he comments he didn't like the idea of one nightstands and then in first chapter when Emmett commented that he and Jasper needed to get laid and over the girls. Slight hint: Jasper hasn't been with anyone either.**

**So from my research you can give you baby any last name you want. However, by Bella couldn't place Edward's name on birth certificate without both of them signing an affidavit, by Washington state law. **

**So Alec is gay. How many saw that coming? And yes he targeted Bella because she was pregnant. **

**Thank You For All Reviews!**

**LB**

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Preview Alert!**

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**Preview:**

"**Bella, wait I need to talk to you," Emmett slurred and stumbled forward. I let out a small squeak and backed away tripping over puzzle pieces. Instantly, Jasper placed a hand on his chest. Edward immediately came closer and stood in front of me. **

"**I think you need to go sleep this off," Jasper strongly suggested. **

"**I need to talk to her." Emmett insisted as he tried to pull away. "I'm not going to hurt her. I would never lay hand on her or Masen. I'm not like my bastard of a father. I just want to apologize." **

"**Not now. Not like this," Edward stated firmly.**

"**I'll talk to him," I said quietly. Edward shot me a look saying he disagreed.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH. 8 **

**(BPOV)**

When I entered the house I felt as if a weight had been lifted of my chest. It felt good to get everything out and that he was patient and understanding with me. I believed him when he said he didn't blame me. He could've easily gotten angry and used the situation to try and take Masen from me.

I found myself not angry with him; I just felt incredibly hurt that he gave up on us so easily. His explanation for the real reason he broke up with me made more sense than the reason he gave me back then. He got scared and made a rash decision. I couldn't fault him for it, I had my own nightmares from _Saving Private Ryan _and _The Notebook_, but unlike him, I chose not to run from the possibility of losing him. I had wanted to hold on stronger. I had wanted him to fight for us back then, but he gave up. Even if his intentions were good, he had given up. That's why I had a hard time letting him in again.

"Daddy, I got the game. Let's play." Masen sat at the kitchen table with his feet swinging under him.

The board was laid out and there was a bowl of popcorn. Masen had a glass of water and cut up apple in front of him. Edward walked over and took the seat next to Masen.

"He said he was hungry. I hope that what I did was ok." Alice stood near-by.

"It's fine. I'm glad he's eating," I answered. I was pleased because he hadn't eaten too well in the past few days since he wasn't hungry.

"Mommy, you play too?" Masen asked. "And Auntie Alice." He looked back and forth between us.

"I would love to." I took the seat next to him across from Edward.

Alice sat next to me. Jasper stepped into the kitchen and headed to the fridge. Masen spotted him and opened his mouth then closed it furrowing his eyebrows.

He turned to me and whispered loudly. "Is he a mister or an uncle?"

"Uncle, is fine." I decided. After all he had done for us, he should be considered family.  
"Uncle Japer, wanna play?" he asked.

Jasper paused with his root beer in his hand.

"I would love to but I think that game is for only four players. I could stay and watch." Jasper smiled and ruffled Masen's hair.

"Oh." Masen looked disappointed.

"How about you and I partner up and Jasper can still play," Edward suggested.

"Yeah." Masen scrambled off his seat and onto Edward's lap.

He turned his head and coughed slightly into his elbow, but he sounded much better than the past few days.

Jasper took his vacated seat. "What color am I?" Jasper asked looking at the set-up.

"I'm yellow," Alice declared.

Masen grabbed the green one. "Green," He announced.

"Bella," Jasper gestured for me to choose. I grabbed the blue and Jasper grabbed the red.

"Wait, we forgot about Uncle Em." Masen looked worried.

Jasper and Edward exchanged a look over Masen's head. Jasper shook his head and Edward frowned. I wasn't upset with Emmett like Alice was. Even if Emmett's advice did prompt Edward to break-up with me he didn't force Edward to do it, Edward still made the decision himself.

"Here's not here right now." Alice rolled her eyes. "Why don't you and your dad go first."

"Okay," Masen pulled a card and showed it to Edward.

Edward helped him find the correct space but allowed Masen to move the piece.

**LB**

The game was short, so we ended up playing three, two of which Masen and Edward won. Alice won the third. Then the guys brought Masen into the living room to checkout one of the puzzles that Alice bought. Alice and I stayed in the kitchen to make dinner. She was working a salad as I was frying up some homemade meatballs and had water heating to make spaghetti.

"I hope I made enough, if I remember correctly Emmett can eat enough for four. That is if he gets back in time. I wonder where he went, should we be worried?" I turned the meatballs so they would brown nicely.

I glanced over my shoulder at Alice when she didn't answer me right away. She sliced a pepper, a little too forcefully.

"Alice?"

"I'm sure he will be back later." She huffed, as she picked up the peppers and dumped in the bowl.

"I know he came up with the stupid idea, but it's not his fault they listened to him." The water came to a boil so I added the pasta.

"You're defending him?" Alice looked up at me.

"No, I'm just not blaming him for something that wasn't really his fault. I've been used as a punching bag for things that were out of my control too often. I know that it would be wrong."

Alice flinched when I mentioned 'punching bag'.

"To blame him would be scapegoating. Edward made the decision based on a suggestion and his own reasons. Of course, what they did still hurts but what they did wasn't to be malicious. It's not like Emmett or Edward could've foreseen what would happened to me. That's my own fault, I should've never gotten with Alec just because I was lonely." I placed down the pasta fork.

"But it's not your fault Alec was a lying snake." Alice moved on to cutting tomatoes.

"I know, I'm getting there." I turned the burner on for the sauce.

"You know, as much as I want to be mad at him, I guess you're right, in a twisted fucked up way, Emmett thought he was preventing us from being hurt, rather than causing us to be hurt. I wished I could see in to his convoluted mind to figure out why." She started tossing the salad so hard that pieces of vegetable flew across the table.

I thought back to what Edward said about Emmett and Rose.

"According to Edward, Emmett said he broke up with Rose, but Rose told us she broke up with him. Any idea who was right?"

"Rose broke up with him. She had talked to me a few days before she actually did it." She walked over and placed the bowl on the table. Maybe Emmett did it because he was hurting. I sighed heavily and added the meatballs to the sauce.

She moved on to setting the table as I finished dinner. I called out to the boys when it was on the table. They entered. Masen was riding Edward's back looking tired but happy.

They plopped down at the table. Masen looked at his size plate then at Edward's and Jasper's then back at his own smaller portion.

"I want that size, please," he asked politely, pointing to his father's plate.

I couldn't help but chuckle, since I doubted he would even eat all that I gave him. "Eat that first then I can get you more."

"Don't forgot to save room for ice cream." Alice took a seat.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Masen beamed. He grabbed a strand of spaghetti with his fingers and placed it in his mouth. He sucked it up, the strand wiggled around smacking him lightly in the face leaving tomato sauce on his cheeks.

"Masen," I started to scold, he turned to me with lips puckered and wide eyes knowing that he had been caught. I fought the urge to laugh. "Eat it right, please, use your fork." I scolded gently.

"But it's too slippery. It falls off see." He tried to scoop some with his fork with little success.

"Try it this way." Edward suggested. He twirled his fork spinning the stands around it before bringing to his mouth.

Masen tried to copy him and Edward reached over to help him. Alice cleared her throat, causing me to break my stare and look at her.

"You too, Bella. Eat everything or no ice cream," Alice teased. She had made a couple of comments earlier about how she was concerned about my weight too.

"Yes, ma'am." I rolled my eyes and started to eat.

We made small talk over dinner. Jasper told us about his parents' ranch that was just outside of Houston and promised to teach Masen how to ride a horse. We found out Alice had been working as a personal shopper in NY. Her biggest client was away in Europe for the summer, so she decided to take a vacation as well.

Once we were finished, Alice helped Masen make his own sundae. He carried it back to the table himself all proud. He placed it on the table and turned to me.

"Look, Auntie Alice gave five cherries," he stated proudly as he climbed up into his chair.

"Auntie Alice is going to spoil you," Jasper chuckled.

She shot him a look before heading back to the table.

"Well, that an Aunt's prerogative, I'm allowed to spoil him." She sat down with her own treat, a chocolate covered banana.

Jasper's eyes were glued to it as he watched with interest.

"What is that?" he asked curiously.

Alice licked the tip and grinned at him. "This. What does it look like?" she asked innocently.

"Uh, well…" Jasper looked at Masen out of the corner of his eye.

"A banana!" Masen yelled out.

"You're right, you're so smart, Masen." Alice winked at him. "They come chocolate covered with and without nuts." She smiled cheekily as she gave it another lick. She glanced at me and smiled evilly. "Want a lick, we could share." She held it out.

Before I could respond, Edward started having a coughing fit. He put his water glass down roughly and started to smack his chest.

"Daddy, you sick?" Masen asked in concern.

"I'm fine, it just went down the wrong pipe," Edward's voice was rough.

"How?" Masen looked confused.

"Ahh." He looked at me for help and I just raised an eyebrow. "Drinking too fast, little buddy. Mary Alice, don't play with your food." He shot her a pointed look; she just smirked back at him.

"Ok," she looked Jasper right in the eye as she bit off a chunk and swallowed it whole. Jasper's mouth dropped opened and he paled.

"Hmm, the outside is yummy, but the inside doesn't tasted like candy like they said," She clucked her tongue.

I couldn't help it, a giggle escaped me and I slapped my hand over my mouth to control my laughter, I shook as I held it inside. The identical looks of horror on Edward and Jasper's faces were hysterical.

"Then don't eat it. At least you tried. Right, Mommy?"

The best I could do was nod.

"You're right again, Masen." Alice stood up and tossed the treat in the garbage. "At least I tried," she stated pointedly. She glanced one more time at Jasper. "We cooked, you boys clean." She walked out of the room. The silence was deafening after she left.

I glanced at Masen who managed to get ice cream in his hair.  
"Come on, time for a bath." I tried to wipe him with a napkin.

"I want Daddy to give me a bath. You said next time." He reminded Edward.

"I did," Edward looked around the kitchen trying to decide what to do first.

"Go ahead, I can take care of the clean-up." Jasper spoke, his voice gruffer than normal.

"Thanks. Okay lets go, but I think I might need Mommy's help." He looked at me pleadingly.

"I'll be right there." I stood to bring my plate to the sink as Edward carried Masen up the steps. Jasper was still sitting at the table frozen to his spot. "You okay?"

"Yup," he nodded. I glanced at the fridge at a photo that Esme or Carlisle must have forgotten they placed there. It was Edward in his uniform looking very handsome, however, while he was smiling his eyes looked troubled with dark shadows. I remembered the day he told me he was joining. He was so nervous to tell me.

_It was a snowy day in February and I was over Edward's house to 'study' after school. I was on my stomach on Edward's bed with my legs dangling in the air. I was watching Edward as he kept looking blankly at his CDs tugging at his hair, signaling something was bothering him. In fact, he had been acting that way the past few days and he was starting to make me nervous. _

"_Edward?" I called softly. _

"_Huh?" he turned looking caught off guard. _

"_You've been staring at your CDs for ten minutes. Is everything alright?" I asked in concern. _

"_Yeah, sorry," he grabbed a CD. "Debussy?" I nodded and he slipped it into his player and set the music to low. _

_He came over and sat on the bed running his hand through his hair. He looked over at me and gave me a small smile before clearing his throat. _

"_We need to talk," his voice was quiet and nervous. I sat up and crossed my legs._

"_Is it bad?" I bit my lip nervously afraid he was about to break up with me. _

"_No…no… not at all. At least I don't think it is." He grabbed my hand and kissed it, his thumb started to play with my ring. "I'm so nervous what you're going to think, I'm making you nervous. I'm sorry, love."_

"_Just tell me, please." I let out a breath and sat up straighter._

"_I've decided not to go to college next year." He started, then paused gauging my response. _

"_Okay, so what are you planning on doing?" I asked out of curiosity. _

"_I giving it a lot of thought and I've decided that I'm going to join the Marines and serve our country after graduation," he explained as he squeezed my hand a little tighter. I paused a little, letting it sinking in that the man I loved was planning on putting himself in harm's way._

"_I think it is very brave of you and I'm proud of you." I leaned over and kissed his cheek._

"_So you're not upset?" he looked relieved. _

"_Why would I be?" I leaned into him. He wrapped his arm around me. _

"_Rose didn't sound too pleased when Emmett told her." He started nuzzling my neck making me squirm. _

"_That's Rose. I'm just glad that you're not dumping me," I admitted. _

"_Never, baby, you're mine forever, remember. I'm never letting you go." He kissed me sweetly before he deepened the kiss. _

"You okay, Bella?" Jasper startled me out of my thoughts. I pulled my fingers away from the photo.

"Yeah. Do you need some ice water?" I teased him.

He scowled at me causing me to giggle rather than to be worried I was about to get hit. I knew and trusted Jasper enough, that I knew he would never raise hand at me.

"Funny. Get out of here so I can clean up," he ordered, his lips twitched.

I mock saluted him before heading for the stairs.

**LB**

After Edward had finished giving Masen a bath and he had to go to his room to change his own clothes. I guess I should've warned him that he would mostly wind up as wet as Masen. I was tucking Masen in when we noticed one of his friends were gone.

"Mommy, I left Hoppy downstairs." He looked worried. I kissed his forehead and stood up.

"I'll go get him. You wait here, I'll be right back," I promised. When I reached the main floor I was surprised to see Edward downstairs. But even more surprised to see Emmett was back by what looked like by Police escort. Jacob Black, who had taken over for my father, was here. He was the son of my father's best friend and was several years older than us.

"What's going on?" I asked, finding the frog by the puzzles where Masen had left him.

"Bella, could you please go back upstairs with Alice and wait for either Jasper or me," Edward asked, his voice sounded uneasy.

I looked closer and that's when I noticed Emmett was drunk. I tensed up and nearly jumped out of my skin when Alice touched my elbow. She mumbled an apology but didn't let go.

"Do you guys want me to stick around?" Jacob asked letting go of Emmett.

"We should be fine. Thank You, Jake, for bringing this idiot back and keeping an ear out for news about Alec for us," Jasper answered.

"No, problem. Call me if you need anything." He nodded his head.

After Jacob said his good-byes and started to leave I turned for the stairs.

"Bella, wait, I need to talk to you," Emmett slurred and stumbled forward.

I let out a small squeak and backed away tripping over puzzle pieces. Instantly, Jasper placed a hand on his chest. Edward came closer and stood in front of me.

"I think you need to go sleep this off," Jasper strongly suggested.

"I need to talk to her." Emmett insisted as he tried to pull away. "I'm not going to hurt her. I would never lay a hand on her or Masen. I'm not like my bastard of a father. I just want to apologize."

"Not now. Not like this," Edward stated firmly.

"I'll talk to him," I said quietly.

Edward shot me a look saying he disagreed.

"It should be my decision. Alice, can you take this to Masen and stay with him." I handed her the frog.

She hesitated but agreed reluctantly.

Emmett tried a third time to step forward but he was thwarted. With how he was acting he reminded me almost of when Alec showed up drunk and I would get beaten. However, I never had a reason to fear Emmett before, so that's why I decided to listen to him.

"Emmett, I will listen to you but you need to take a seat on the couch or something." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and hoped my shaking wasn't obvious.

Emmett stumbled to the couch and sat roughly on the couch.

"Bella, you don't have to…" I raised a hand stopping Edward.

"I want to hear what he has to say. Emmett, what do you mean like your father? I thought he died when you were a baby in Desert Storm and you were raised by your grandmother."

"It was easier than the truth. I'm not sure where the old man is. Last I knew he was in jail. My father went to Desert Storm alright. My mom left him and dropped me off with my grandmother when she met someone new. He came back a destroyed man. The first time he hit me all I did was spill a glass of milk. My grandmother threw him out and told him to get his shit together and if he ever laid a hand on me again, son or not, she would have charges pressed. He left, and hunted down my mother and killed her and her new lover in cold blood."

I covered my mouth with my hand feeling empathy for him. "I'm so sorry, Emmett, that's terrible," I said softly, feeling sympathetic of his abusive father, but he started to look more tortured.

"I've done something really bad. Something I don't think you'll or Edward will ever forgive me about." He tugged at his hair and pleaded with me.

"I already know that it was your idea about having him break up with me. Edward didn't have to listen you, so I don't blame you for it."

He shook his head. "I done something worse," He said in broken whisper.

"What did you do?" I asked in confusion.

"Shit, Emmett, tell me you didn't," Jasper snapped.

I looked at Jasper and then Edward who looked as confused as me. Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, god, Emmett, you…please tell me it wasn't you?" I pleaded that I was wrong.

He wouldn't have.  
"I'm sorry," He begged.

My heart clenched in my chest.

"It was you," That's when it clicked with Edward. "You, asshole, I'm going to kill you. You had no right keeping her letters from me." He bellowed, his fist clenched at his side and his face was red with anger.

He took a step towards Emmett and Jasper blocked his path.

"Out of my way, Jasper." He tried to shove Jasper away, but he stood firm.

"Calm down, Edward. I don't think violence is the answer."

Edward made another attempt to get around him. Jasper grabbed him again and Edward struggled against him.

"Think of Bella and Masen. I think they've both seen enough violence to last a life time," Jasper beseeched again.

Edward's shoulders sagged slightly and he glanced over his shoulder at me.

I involuntary flinched away at the anger that brewed in his eyes. Edward's eyes saddened before he turned away from me. He pinched the bridge of his nose then tilted his head towards his feet. His other hand remained clenched so hard at his side that it was trembling.

"I'm sorry," Emmett spoke again.

"Don't speak to her," Edward growled without looking up.

Emmett's mouth slammed shut.

"How….why…I don't understand why you would do this?" my voice shook with emotion. My mind was still trying to wrap around his revelation.

"I didn't know what was in the letter, I thought it was a 'Dear, John' letter. I didn't want to see Edward hurt or you hurt? I was trying to protect both of you. I've seen how it could change a person. I didn't want to see that happening to any of my friends. So I sent it back thinking if it was important you would try and write him again," his voice was broken whisper.

"Why would you think that I would hurt Edward in a letter like that?" I accused. "I would never have done that to him." I yelled without waiting for an answer.

"I DIDN'T THINK ROSE WOULD EITHER. BUT THE BITCH BROKE MY HEART WHEN SHE DUMPED ME, CAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE WITH A GUY IN THE MILITARY. SHE DECIDED TO MARRY SOME GUY WHO WAS GOING BE RICH LIKE HER DADDY! SO EXCUSE ME FOR TRYING TO PROTECT YOU BOTH!" he hollered making the walls shake.

I shook as I stumbled backwards into the wall. I slid to the floor keeping my arms around me. My breath was ragged and I closed my eyes for a moment trying to calm myself.

"Watch how you speak to her," Jasper's voice was low and dangerous. "She doesn't deserve to be talked to like that."

Emmett looked ashamed and he surprised me when he started to cry.

"I'm not her. I'm not Rose. You had no right to assume shit," I hissed, glaring at him. I felt so betrayed. The advice was one thing, but the letters were another.

"I'm sorry," he pleaded one last time, but I shook my head unable to answer.

"I think it's time for you to sleep it off. Come on." Jasper grabbed Emmett by the elbow and yanked him to his feet. He practically shoved him to the door that went down to the rec. room.

I remained on the floor and cried. I always thought of Emmett as a good friend but I couldn't understand his actions. He said he did it to protect us, but all it did was hurt us. I sniffled and was aware when Edward knelt down near me but still gave me some space. He held out a tissue box when I looked up. I took one as I took a few deep breaths to calm down. I was sure Masen probably heard Emmett's yelling and I should check on him. Thankfully, Alice was with him.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked softly. He seemed more in control of himself, but I could see that he was still very upset.

"I'm angry and very hurt. Even though he explained, I can't understand why he would think that of me." I replied reaching for another tissue my hand was still shaking.

"I don't either," Edward answered sliding the box of tissues towards me in case I need any more. "You're not like that. Emmett's an asshole, it's his fault you and Masen got into so much danger," Edward fumed.

"No. Alec isn't his fault." I surprised myself in answering. Edward looked ready to argue. "He couldn't possibly have known about Alec. Even if you got the letters Alec could have still entered the picture. I can't blame Emmett for that. I have been blamed and beaten for things that weren't my fault. I can't in good conscious blame someone else for something that wasn't their fault." I reasoned as I twisted a tissue in my hand.

"I can." Edward gruffed.

"But it wouldn't be fair. I don't blame you for Alec either."

His eyes met mine quickly, I saw regret and guilt fill his eyes again. I realized he was blaming himself for Alec. We held each other's stare for a few minutes.

"Why are you defending him?" Edward frowned. He broke the stare to look at his hands that hung loosely between his bent knees.

"I'm not. Not really, anyways. I'm just putting the right blame where it is due. I am however incredibly hurt and angry that he interfered and tried to keep us apart. Even if he claims his intentions were good." I scowled.

"Are you going to be able to forgive him? Because right now, I don't think I can," Edward asked without looking up. I wasn't sure if he was talking about Emmett or himself.

"I don't know. I'm still very angry at the moment," I answered honestly. I stood up, my legs feeling slightly shaky still.

Edward jumped up and reached out a hand to towards me and then just as fast dropped it. I gave him a timid smile realizing he was trying to help me.

"I need to check on Masen to make sure that Emmett didn't scare him with his yelling." I started heading for the stairs. "Are you coming?" I asked.

Edward looked at me looking very torn. "I think I should calm down before he see me this upset. I'll be along in a minute." He answered after a moment. He sat down again, this time in the chair and put his head between his hands.

I touched his shoulder giving it a light squeeze before heading up the stairs.

**LB**

When I reached the third floor I entered the guest room Edward was using first. I wanted to wash my face with some cold water before Masen saw me. I entered the bedroom and Masen was knocked out in his bed with a pair of earphones on his head and book on his lap.

"It's a book on tape. I thought it might distract him," Alice spoke up softly sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Thank you, Alice, you really do think of everything." I went over and took the earphones off his small head. "So he didn't hear anything?" I asked as fixed his position to sleep better.

"I don't think so. The only thing I heard was when Emmett started screaming. By then Masen was already out like a light." Alice stood and stretched.

"I'm going to get Jasper so we can retrieve the car that Emmett had to leave behind when Jacob brought him home. Try and get some sleep." She gave me hug a before skipping out of the room.

**A/N:**

**So as many of you know and figured out, Emmett was guilty of sending back a letter. No he didn't do this to be malicious or jerk. He wanted to save everyone what he thought would more pain later. What was Rose did to him really messed with him. And no he's not working for or with Alec. **

**Some want to blame him and Edward for Alec, but as Bella said they had no idea of knowing Alec would show up next. She leveled headed enough not to scapegoat. **

**Part of why Bella is being so accepting of Edward. She wants to stay cordial so he doesn't try to take Masen away from because of the last four years. **

**Jacob is a friend/acquaintance that's all he's not a threat in any form.**

**There was some fun in the chapter too. At least, Alice did getting a dig in on Jasper. Don't worry her joke went way above Masen's head for him to get. **

**Thank You For All Reviews**

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Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

**As soon as Masen spotted the treehouse he dropped my hand and broke out into a run. **

"**Masen, wait up." I picked up my strides to keep up with him. I was afraid he would try to climb up and fall before we can get there. I didn't need to give Bella a reason to kill me for not bringing him back in one piece.**

**We caught up just as he reached the base. He waited patiently looking up trying to see through the hatch. **

"**May I go up now," he asked. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch: 9**

**(EPOV)**

It was well after midnight when I headed upstairs. Jasper and Alice came and went from retrieving the new rental. They both had tried to talk to me but I wasn't in the mood to be social or to talk about what I was thinking or feeling.

I couldn't get over what Emmett had been hiding all this time. I still wanted to beat the ever lovin' shit out of him. However, I knew I had to restrain myself since the last thing I wanted to do was scare Masen again.

I paused by the bedroom door. It was open slightly to let the light of the hall in for a nightlight. I tipped-toed in so I didn't wake either of them. Masen was sleeping soundly curled up with both his frog and Grover. He rolled over when I approached the bed.

"Daddy, treehouse, please," he mumbled. I chuckled. He got talking in his sleep from his mom.

_We were camping in La Push with the others. Charlie let Bella go thinking she would be sharing a tent with Alice and Rose, but once we got here the couples split up. _

_She snuggled into me. "I love you, Edward," she mumbled. _

_I smiled and without thinking I kissed her. She responded after a moment and I felt her hand push me back slightly. _

"_Edward?" she yawned. "It's the middle of the night. What are you doing?" Her eyes were still closed so I was unsure if she was awake._

"_I'm watching you sleep." I kissed her forehead and moved some hair from her face._

"_That's weird. Why?" She opened one eye and looked at me._

"_Did you know you talk in your sleep?" I teased. _

_Her eyes opened wide and she looked worried. _

"_What did I say?" she demanded nervously. I couldn't help to think she was cute when she was mad or anxious. _

"_Oh nothing much just…" I shrugged teasing her some more. _

_She poked me in the chest, clearly not amused. _

"_That you love me." I beamed. _

_I could tell, even in only dimly moon lit tent, her whole face was bright red. She covered her face with both hands._

"_Baby, don't hide yourself from me." I tugged lightly on her hands to try to pry them off her face. She gave me a timid smile. "Don't be embarrassed. I love you, too, Bella Swan."_

"_Are you saying that to make me feel better," she accused, looking unsure._

"_Perhaps, but it's still true. I just haven't figured out how to tell you first. But believe me it's the truth. I, EDWARD CULLEN LOVE ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!" _

_Her hand covered my mouth because I screamed the last part, she was grinning madly though._

"_SHUT UP, I, JASPER WHITLOCK AM TRYING TO SLEEP!" Jasper yelled back. _

"_Believe me now?" I asked. She giggled then pulled me into a kiss._

"Edward, what are you doing?" Bella called me from behind. She was sitting up in bed watching me. The light from the hall lit her face so I could see her clearly.

"Sorry, I just wanted to check on him. I got caught up watching him sleep. You know that he talks in his sleep just like you?" I chuckled lightly.

"Oh, god, what did I say?" she groaned.

I laughed lightly at her nervousness.

"Nothing. It was him. He wants me to take him to the treehouse," I explained.

"As long as it's not raining too hard tomorrow that should be fine." She paused thinking. "Have you checked to make sure it still safe?" she questioned.

"I didn't, but Jasper said he climbed up to check and said it looked safe to him," I answered.

She let a big yawn before nodding.

"Sorry, I woke you," I apologized before heading to my own room.

I had barely stripped down to my boxers to climb into bed when I heard Masen start crying and yelling. My heart thundered in my chest that he was hurt as I barreled back into the other bedroom. Bella was already sitting on the edge of the pullout soothing him.

"Daddy?" he cried holding out his arms when he spotted me. Bella glanced over her shoulder, she looked calm and not upset so I knew I wasn't intruding. Her eyes drifted down to my bare chest and she blushed.

"Are you okay, little buddy?" I asked lifting him up and he clung to me like a spider monkey.

"I had a bad dream," he pouted. His damp cheeks wet my shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "I want to sleep with you and mommy, pease." Those puppy dog eyes with tears in them were just about heartbreaking.

"I don't think we'll all fit in your bed." I frowned. I looked over at Bella for help. Her face was grim, but she smiled when Masen looked at her.

"Please, mommy? I don't want daddy to leave. He stays right here," Masen asked.

"Well, maybe for tonight. We can share my bed until you fall asleep," she suggested.

"You sure," I mouthed over Masen's head. I didn't want to impose and make her feel uncomfortable.

She nodded and pulled back the covers more.

"Climb in." She sat down on one side. I placed Masen down and he crawled to the middle and curled into Bella.

"Daddy," He patted the space next to him. I laid on top of the covers.

"Under, silly. Like me," he giggled.

I hesitated before I climbed under. Masen grabbed my hand and held it tight.

"Stay, Daddy," he said more seriously, he looked worried.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised. I could always move to the pullout after he was asleep.

Bella started telling Masen a story that involved Hoppy Froggy Longlegs while she played with his hair. He calmed down and fell asleep before the story was over.

"That was a cute story, did you make it up yourself?" I whispered.

She nodded shyly.

"Maybe you should write children's books?" I suggested.

"I stink at drawing though. That's half, if not most of the book at their age," she answered. "I would love to write again."

"Then go for it. In fact, you should go back to school." I encouraged. She scoffed at my suggestion.

"It's not that easy. I have to find a job to take care of Masen and myself. I wouldn't be able to afford school."

"I can help you," I stated. I received my inheritance plus I barley spent anything I earned the last few years, so I was pretty all set financially. I wanted to help her and Masen the best I could.

"I'm not taking charity," she huffed starting to look upset.

"It's not charity for me to pay my half of child support. And since I owe for back payments, you can use that to help take some classes," I argued softly back.

"You don't owe me anything." She shook her head.

"On the contrary, I do. I owe you a lot for keeping our little boy safe while you were at risk. I haven't really decided what to do next, so I can settle wherever you want to go. I will help you out with Masen how I can," I promised. She closed her eyes as if she was trying not to get upset.

"Edward, we have been through this. I'm glad you are stepping up for Masen. I don't want to come across as a witch, but I'm not part of the deal," she said slowly.

"You're not a b.." she silence me with a pointed look at Masen. "a witch. I do understand that Bella. I wasn't trying to suggest that; you have giving up so much putting Masen first. Let me do this for you. No strings attached, I mean that. At least think about it. If you take some classes, you could get a better job, that helps Masen too, right?"

She opened her eyes stared at me for a moment.

"I'll think about it." She agreed. Her eyes drifted back down to my chest. "You've kept it." I looked down to see where her eyes were glued. She had spotted her ring on my dog tag chain.

"I did. It has stayed with me since that day," I told her.

She flushed looking back up me with doe eyes, her expression unreadable. I started to slip out of the bed.

"Edward?" I turned back and she bit her lip looking down at Masen then back up at me. "If you don't mind, maybe you should stay. Right before he woke up Masen was asking for you…" she trailed off leaving out something. "Anyways I think he would want you here when he wakes up."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm sure, it's a big bed." She closed her eyes before I settled back into the bed. "Edward?" she opened her eyes again.

"Yes, lo… Bella?" I raised myself up by one elbow.

"You're really not going back to the service?" She asked not meeting my eye, but playing with the blanket.

"No, the time I signed up for is done. Besides, I think I'm needed here more right now." She glanced up looking me straight in the eye. I saw some relief in her eyes.

"Good. Masen would really miss you if you left. I think that's what his nightmare was about."

I glanced down at my sleeping son. I had missed so much already, I dreaded missing more.

"I'm not going anywhere, not without him." _Or you_ I added silently.

She eyed me closely before closing her eyes. I watched as she fall asleep before I drifted off.

**LB**

In the morning, I woke up with a warm body curled into mine. The floral scent had aroused me and my morning wood was pressed up against something soft. The body shifted with a soft content sigh and I opened my eyes surprised to see Bella pressed up against me with her head on my chest. Her left hand had the dog tag chain tangled in her fingers.

Her brown eyes opened and met mine. She looked confused then she sat up fast. Her whole face was red with blush.

"Masen?" she called out looking around.

"Here, Mommy," he called from the pullout. He was sitting up with a couple of books around him. "Daddy." His eyes lit up and he stood up on the bed. He took a couple of steps and leapt from one bed to the other, a good four feet apart. He landed with a bounce.

"Masen, don't do that, you scared me." Bella clutched her chest.

"Sorry," he bounced into my lap.

Making me wince and let out an 'oomph'. Bella smirked.

"Mommy, I hungree," Masen stated with an adorable grin.

"Okay, I'm coming." Bella yawned and slipped out of bed.

I didn't notice last night but all she was wearing was one of my old high school t-shirts and it barely covered her ass. I tore my eyes away as she slipped on a pair of lounge pants.

"What shall we have for breakfast?" I asked Masen.

"Pancakes," His eyes danced with joy.

"Sounds good, but I need you to come help me." Bella held out her hand to him. He bounced off my lap and grabbed her hand before jumping off the bed. He landed with a soft thud, let go of Bella's hand and ran to the door. He managed to get the door open.

"You coming, Daddy?" he asked, turning and hoping one foot to the other in the door way.

"In a few minutes." I promised.

"Okay. I try to save you some pancakes. But I eat lots!" he yelled before he disappeared from the room running down the hallway.

I heard Bella call out for him to hold on to the railing.

**LB**

It was about mid-morning when Masen ran alongside of me holding my hand and Jasper walked with us to the treehouse in the back of the yard. The girls remained inside, Alice convinced Bella to let her trim her hair. Emmett… I'm not sure what he was doing at the moment. Probably sleeping off his hangover. To tell the truth, I didn't care where he was at the moment, just as long as he stayed out of my way. I wasn't ready to forgive him anytime soon, if ever.

As soon as Masen spotted the treehouse he dropped my hand and broke out into a run.

"Masen, wait up." I picked up my strides to keep up with him. I was afraid he would try to climb up and fall before we could get there. I didn't need to give Bella a reason to kill me for not bringing him back in one piece.

We caught up just as he reached the base. He waited patiently looking up trying to see through the hatch.

"May I go up now," he asked.

"Let Uncle Jasper go up first and I will go up behind you," I told him.

He nodded and stepped away from the ladder.

"Do you remember the rules I told you."

"Uh huh. Stay away from the edge. Use both hands when climbing the ladder. I can only go up with adult superstition."

"Supervision," I corrected gently.

"Supervision," he parroted. "and the rope Tarzan swing is off limits because the rope is old and needs a new one."

"Good job remembering," I praised.

He smiled and started bouncing around.

"Hurry up, Uncle Japer." He bounced forward and grabbed Jasper's hand then tugged on it; he pulled Jasper away from the tree he had been leaning against.

"I'm coming, hold your horses," Jasper snickered.  
"But I don't have any horses." Masen looked confused.

I hid my laugh with a slight cough.

"It's just an expression that means wait patiently." Jasper laughed and ruffled Masen's hair before starting up the ladder. When he reached the top he disappeared through the hatch, only for his head and shoulders to appear a moment later to lend a helping hand if Masen needed it.

Masen tried to follow, copying Jasper exactly, however, since Jasper was so tall he had skipped a few boards on the ladder.

"Don't skip a step. When your legs are as long as ours you can skip but for now use each one." I held on to him when he started to slip. Exactly why I wanted to be on the ground behind him.

I might be over cautious, there was a thousand times Jasper, Emmett and I climbed up without issues when we were kids, also doing stupid stuff and we were still alive.

He moved slower and when he reached the top Jasper stretched out a hand to help him up and in. By the time I reached the top Masen was by one of the windows looking out. Jasper was hovering near enough he could grab him in case he leaned too far. At first I was surprised how small it felt up here, Jasper and I both had to stoop. I guess it has been a while since I had been up here.

When Masen saw me his smile grew big. "This is so cool! I always wanted a treehouse." His eyes were large with excitement as he hurried over to another ladder built into the wall.

"Well if you like it so much you can have it." I offered. His eyes lit up and he ran over and hugged my legs.

"Thank you." I hugged him back.

"You're welcome, little buddy."

He let go and went back to the other ladder.

"Where does this go?" he asked.

"That up there is a lookout tower. Go ahead and go up." As he climbed the ladder I reached up and unlocked the windows and pushed them open for him.

"I can see water from here," he exclaimed.

"That's Sol Duc river," I told him.

"Can we fish? Mommy says Grampa Charlie fished." He looked down at me with hopeful eyes.

"Well, I'm sure we can try it sometime." I forced a smile as my mind drifted to thinking about the few times I fished with Charlie in hopes to get on his good side when dating Bella. I wasn't very good though.

"Do you fish, Uncle Japer?" Masen started to climb down the ladder with slightly shaky legs.

I braced for a fall but still allowed him to back down on his own.

"I fished a few times before," Jasper answered with a smile.

"What about Uncle Em?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered evenly and exchanged a look with Jasper.

Of course he would call him Uncle Em. He calls Jasper 'uncle' and Alice 'aunt', so I could see why he would reason to call Emmett 'uncle'. However, at this point in time I don't think he was very worthy of the title, but I didn't see how I could explain that to Masen.

"Where is Uncle Em?" Masen asked.

I sighed inwardly afraid that Masen was attached to him already.

"I think he might still be sleeping, he wasn't feeling well," Jasper answered for me.

"Is it my fault?" Masen looked upset.

"No, definitely not your fault," I answered quickly.

Masen still looked upset.

"Would you like to go see the river?" I hoped to distract him.

"Yeah," he rushed for the ladder.

"Woah, partner, wait for me to go first." Jasper beat him to the ladder.

"Sorry," he giggled. "You sound like a cowboy."

"Well, when I was about your age, I spent a lot of time on my grandparent's ranch. So I guess I have a bit of cowboy in me." Jasper snickered, he started down the ladder. He jumped about half way down and got ready to help Masen.

Masen went down slowly and Jasper helped him off about halfway down.

"Did they have horses?" Masen asked.

"Yup, some cattle, too," Jasper replied. "My parents live there now, perhaps one day you can visit, and I'll teach you to ride a horse."

"Can we, Daddy?" he asked looking up. I got the puppy dog eyes.

"Ah… I can't make promises without talking to your mom first." I deflected for the time being. I wasn't sure what the future held at the moment, but I was still hoping for the best.

We showed Masen the path down to the river from the house. "Can we fish now?" he asked running up to bank. I grabbed the back of his shirt just before he started to tumble in.

"We need to get some gear first, so maybe tomorrow. Stay away from edge okay? If you fall in your mom isn't going to be very happy with me." I pulled him about two feet from the edge.

I bent down and picked up a rock and tossed it into the water making a splash. I smiled as I watched Masen trying to copy me. I stayed hunched down so I was eye level with him.

"Masen, I got a couple of important questions for you, and I need you to tell me the truth, okay. You won't be in trouble for anything you say. Understand?"

He nodded but looked nervous, he bit his lip the same way Bella did. He played with rock in his hand.

"Did Mr. Alec ever hurt you or touch you in a way that you didn't like?" I asked.

Bella was adamant that he didn't, but I still felt like I had to check in case Masen was trying to protect her from knowing.

"No." he shook his head. "He yelled a lot and call me fudding brat. I don't know what fudding means, mommy says it's bad and I'm not allowed to say it." He looked at me nervously.

"It is a bad word. But you're not in trouble right now." I realized he meant 'fucking'.

"Did you ever see him hit your mom?" I asked.

"Ah huh, mommy doesn't know I saw, I lied and said I didn't." His little lip wobbled.

"That's alright, little buddy, I think I know why you did. You're both going to be safe now. Okay?"

He nodded and I gave him a small hug.

"Can I throw more rocks in?" he asked shyly.

"Yup, just no closer than right here. I'm going to sit with Uncle Jasper."

He nodded before stooping to pick up some rocks.

Masen tossed some small rocks and sticks in from the spot I left him in. I sat next to Jasper on a large rock. He gave me a grim smile.

"At least the bastard never touched the kid," he murmured in low voice.

"He still threatened Bella that he would kill him if she ran," I whispered back, and Jasper scowled and cracked is knuckles.

"So are you going to turn Emmett in and press charges?" he asked in a low voice.

I frowned as I contemplated, technically what Emmett did was a federal offense by obstruction of mail. I was conflicted on how to proceed. Sure I was pissed the hell off at him and wanted to kick his ass, but was I mad enough to send him to jail for it? This was a man who I fought alongside with and who, without any hesitation, helped me save Bella and Masen. However, then there was the argument they wouldn't have needed saving if I received those letters and I knew about Masen sooner. But then, if I wasn't an idiot in the first place, I wouldn't have to worry about him protecting me from her letters if I didn't break up with her.

"I have to think about it. Right now I'm too angry to make a decision when it comes to Emmett. I trusted him and he destroyed that trust. I probably should include Bella in the decision as well."

"You can go talk with her right now, if you like. I'll keep an eye on Masen and make sure he doesn't fall in." Jasper offered.

"I think I might take you up on that." I stood up. "Masen, I have to go to the house for a moment, you can stay here, but listen to Uncle Jasper, okay?"

He turned and smiled. "Okay. Uncle Japer, do you think we can find a real frog?" He asked.

"We can try." Jasper stood up and went over to him.

While he was distracted I headed to the house. I was almost there when I saw Bella headed towards me, her face was unreadable.

"Hey I was just coming to find you. I need to talk to you about something." I greeted her.

"I needed to talk to you too, about this." She held up a small white card in the air between her index and her middle fingers and I froze in panic. How was I supposed to explain it and have her believe me?

**A/N:**

**Some daddy and son bonding time with Uncle Jasper too. **

**Many of you caught something last chapter. That Emmett was saying letter while everyone saying letters. I'll just say, he was being truthful and not hiding or lying about the other letters and leave it at that. **

**If you want to know what Bella found, it was mentioned in one of the previous chapters. **

**Thank You For All Reviews!**

**LB  
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Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview (Since so many of you have asked about her):**

"**Whatever happened to Rose?" I asked. I had lost touch with her a long time ago. Even before Masen was born. I couldn't believe that she was so shallow that she broke up with Emmett because of money and that he became a solider, it seems that she provoked him to react like he did.**

"**She is married to a man name Royce King. I think he's involved with banking." The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. "Rose has been in and out of 'spas' for the last few years." I raised an eyebrow at the way she said spas. "Rehab, Bella. She has been drinking and dabbling in other stuff. Every time she gets out, something sets her off and she ends up back after not too long."**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch. 10 (BPOV)**

I watched from the kitchen window as the guys headed across the Cullen's' yard towards Edward's old treehouse. My hair was still damp from my shower. I didn't bother drying it since Alice was going to give me a haircut. It would be my first in about four years. Alec didn't want my haircut.

"Ready?" I heard her behind me placing things down on the counter.

I turned and climbed into the seat. I jumped slightly when she wrapped a towel around my neck from behind me and clipped it with a hairclip. She fluffed my hair and started running a comb gently through it.

"What would you like me to do? Any ideas?" she asked.

"You're better at this than me. I trust you," I answered, glancing around and playing with my hands on my lap.

"Okay, I think I'll shorten it a few inches, not too much, you look good with long hair. Just enough to get the dead ends off. Then I'm going to add long layers. That will help the waves and the curls of your hair," she explained as she started to pin some sections of my hair on the top of my head.

She moved to the front of me with scissors in hand and I started to tense. She raised them and out of the corner of my eye I saw the scissors coming at me. I started to panic, my breathing faltered and I flinched away, shaking. I closed my eyes tight as the tears started to well. I tried to take a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"Shit," I heard Alice mumbled. I heard something metal hit the table beside me. "Bella, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I put them down," she said softly.

She touched my arms and I jumped and almost fell of the chair.

"Shit, I shouldn't have done that. Sorry, Bella. Breathe, okay, nice and slow. I promise that you're safe." I heard her move away and the fridge open and then a can open. Her soft deliberate steps came back in front of me. "Here, I got you a drink. There's a straw, just open your mouth and take a sip." She offered.

I opened my mouth and she placed the straw in. I took a sip of sugary cold cola. I took a few more tentative breaths and slowly opened my eyes. Alice was standing in front of me holding a cola, she was looking worried and slightly nervous. She placed the can on the counter and offered me a tissue from a box.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I know you would never hurt me. I don't know what happened," I apologized wiping my eyes.

"It's not your fault that you've been traumatized. I'm going to touch your hand," she warned before she gently took one of my hands and gave it a squeeze. "God, Bella, I'm sorry that you've gone through all this. I wish I could've done more."

"Not your fault that he used me as punching bag, all because the fucker couldn't tell his parents he was gay," I snarled in confession.

"He's gay? Does that mean he's never…" she trailed off looking ashamed for asking.

"No. He never touched me that way." I took another deep breath, starting to relax.

"Thank goodness," she said softly.

"I'm fine now, if you want to continue." I felt calmer now. I picked up the soda and took another sip.  
"You sure? We don't have to do this today," she said cautiously.

"I'm sure. I think I'll keep my eyes closed though." I closed my eyes.

She waited a moment before letting go. I heard her pick up the scissors and moved to my side.

"I'm going to start again," she warned, a moment later I felt a small tug on my hair then a snip.

"I think I'm going to call Carmen and get the number of her friend that's a counselor. I don't like being like this. Maybe I should have Masen see someone too." I decided.

The more I thought about Emmett the more I was worried that recent events would affect Masen in the long run.

"I think that's a great idea. I know I'm not educated in that area, but if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here too." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Did you know about Emmett's father?" I asked since she knew him longer than me.

"No, none of us did. Not even Jasper and Edward. We were so young, maybe five, when he left for the war. We were told he died in the war and that Emmett's mom died in a car accident," she answered.

"That's what I was told too," Emmett spoke up from the doorway.

My eyes flew open and shot to where he was into the doorway. He looked terrible with drooped shoulders and bags under his eyes. He seemed completely heartbroken and nervous standing there.  
"Emmett, I don't think you should be here right now," Alice's voice was clipped.

"I just wanted to apologize again when I was sober. I'll get out of your way." He turned to leave.

"Emmett," I called out to him. He turned back and remained silent.

"If that was what you were told, then when did you find out about the other stuff?" My curiosity got the better of me.

"When I came home after Rose broke up with me. My grandma wanted to know why I was so upset. When I told her, she said it was a good thing that Rose did what she did. She never liked Rose and said I was better off without her. She told me it was better that it happen now rather then later when I was in the middle of a war. She then informed me the truth about my parents. I had always had a recurring dream when I was young about a man hitting me for spilling a drink. My grandma just told me it was a bad dream back then. I found out it had actually happened and it was my own father." His eyes looked dazed before focusing on the two of us. "I know you two don't believe me, but I just didn't want anyone hurt like I was over Rose. I was stupid, but I am sorry."

"But you did hurt me, Emmett. I loved Edward more than anything. I wouldn't have done the same as Rose or your mother. Alice wouldn't have done that to Jasper. Besides who sends a 'Dear, John' letter after they had already broken up?" I whispered in disgust.

"I was irrational and made a horrible call. I started to realize that when neither of them could get over you. They still carried torches and wouldn't even look at other girls. When I found out about Alec, I was furious that not only someone could treat you and that little boy that way, but it was my fault that it happened because I wasn't thinking and kept the letter from Edward," Emmett's voice sounded broken.

I took a deep breath. "Alec isn't your fault. Even if Edward got the letters there is no saying what would've happened. Alec put up a good front at first and had me fooled. I wouldn't have gotten back together with Edward just because I was pregnant. I knew from my own parents that doesn't work. As much as I'm angry at you for keeping the letters from Edward and hurt that you tried to keep us a part, Alec isn't your fault."

Emmett hung his head. "I think you're wrong. I will make this up to you someday, if it's the last thing I do." He turned and left the kitchen.

I sighed and my shoulders relaxed.

"Done," Alice announced.

"Already," I touched the back of my hair.

"Yup, at least he's a good distraction." Alice rolled her eyes as she took the towel away from my neck.

"Thank you," I slid off the seat. "How are you and Jasper?"

"We are on better terms, I guess. We talked some. I found out the real reason he broke up with me." Alice busied herself with a broom. "He told me he didn't want to hold me back. That I was so excited for the city and he was a country boy who would never do well in the city. He said, he was letting me go to spread my wings. He claimed that if I knew his real reason, I would never had gone and tried. He wanted me to try for my dream even if didn't include him." She looked up teary eyed. "I guess that makes me feel guilty for hitting him back then, but not for the banana." She smirked.

"You're so lucky that went above Masen's head." I tried not to laugh. I started to put away the breakfast dishes.

"Whatever happened to Rose?" I asked.

I had lost touch with her a long time ago. Even before Masen was born. I couldn't believe that she was so shallow that she broke up with Emmett because of money and because that he became a solider, it seems that she provoked him to react like he did.

"She is married to a man name Royce King. I think he's involved with banking." The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. "Rose has been in and out of 'spas' for the last few years." I raised an eyebrow at the way she said spas. "Rehab, Bella. She has been drinking and dabbling in other stuff. Every time she gets out, something sets her off and she ends up back after not too long."

"Oh," I commented with wide eyes.

"Bella, I have something to tell you that I haven't before. It's not bad but I don't want to hide anything anymore," Alice shifted nervously.

"What?" I asked warily.

"The lady I'm personal shopper for, it's Sulpicia Volturi." She revealed. "Before you start to get upset, she's on your side. She was forced to marry Aro when she was pregnant with the twins. Although, Aro pretends that they are his, they are really Suplicia's driver's. She doesn't think Masen is Alec's, which is why she never pressed to meet him or you. She thinks you were put in a similar position like she was. Though Aro has never hit her, but then I don't think she believes Alec hits you. I took the job to try and keep an eye on you." Alice admitted.

"You should tell the guys. They are looking for ways to bring Alec down. Maybe Sulpicia would be a help," I commented, slightly relieved it wasn't as bad as I had thought. In fact this could be good.

"I told Jasper last night. He told me that I shouldn't keep it from you." She nodded.

"Thank you, I'm really starting to hate secrets," I declared.

**LB**

I entered the laundry room to do wash some clothes. I picked up a pair of Edward's shorts and checked the pockets before tossing them in. My hand pulled out a white card. I frowned when I looked down at it.

_We were at Bella Italia for our first Valentine's Day together. The waitress had been flirting with Edward the whole night putting me in a slightly pissy mood. The topper to the cake is she handed him her card with the check, not too subtly either. _

_I watched as he started to pocket the card._

"_That's it, I'm gone." I stood up. _

_He grabbed my hand quickly. "Baby, where are you going?" He looked alarmed._

"_Home. You obviously want something else or should I say someone." I pulled my hand from his._

"_What are you talking about?" Edward reached for me again. "There is no one else."_

"_Then why did you take that girl's phone number?" I argued back._

"_I didn't want to hurt her feelings by leaving it there. I was going to throw it out as soon as I got home, like I always do." _

_That didn't make me feel better when he said always. It means it always happens_

"_What about my feelings. How do you think I feel seeing you take another girl's phone number? How would you feel if I did that?" I crossed my arms hurt. He sighed and looked perplexed. _

"_I wouldn't like it, but what am I supposed to do?" he asked._

"_Ignore it or decline her politely as you can, if you're worried about hurting feelings. By taking it you're showing her she has a chance." I settled into my seat again._

"_Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. Do you have a pen?" he asked. _

_I found one in my purse and handed it to him. _

_He scribbled something and handed it to me. It read: I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. I already have the most beautiful girl in the world as my girlfriend. I would be a fool to screw that up._

"_Better?" he asked with a crooked grin. _

"_Much." I nodded._

I quickly walked out of the laundry room and towards the porch door. I saw Alice look up, but didn't stop me. Edward was heading up to the house alone when he spotted me, he smiled crookedly.

"Hey, I was just coming to find you. I need to talk to you about something." He called out.

"I needed to talk to you too, about this." I held up a small white card in the air between my index and my middle fingers.

He froze in his spot and his face drained.

"I can explain," he rushed.

"Okay go ahead." I waited for him to start talking.

"She means nothing. Nothing happened. Emmett wanted to go clubbing before we saw you in the store. He talked some girls into join us. When they approached before we left, we told them we couldn't meet them. We were going to help you and beside I had no interest in the first place. I tried telling her that, but she forced her card on me anyways." His eyes begged me to understand.

"You didn't look at the card did you?" I commented with raised eyebrows. I held it out to him.

"I don't want it, throw it out." He raised his hands and backed away like I was trying to poison him or something.

"Edward, take the fucking card and look at it." I insisted.

He grabbed it lightly and looked at it.

"FBI?" his head shot up and his eyes met mine.

Well, I guess my question had been answered, he had no clue.

"Yes, I'm assuming the other two with Tanya were Irina and Kate. They are FBI and have been watching the house for a while. Alice sent them my way to help, but I thought Alec dealt with insurance so I wasn't aware of shady business. So I couldn't really help them out."

"You could have told them about the abuse," Edward said quietly.

"After Charlie, I wasn't going to risk anyone else's life for my own." Edward sighed and looked at the card again.

"Perhaps we should give them a call then." He turned to the house.

"Edward, where is Masen?" I looked around for him.

"Jasper is keeping an eye on him. They're looking for frogs. That's right, my question… do you want to press charges against Emmett?" he asked.

"Charges for what, being a well-intentioned jerk?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, he messed with me getting the mail. It's a federal offense if we turn him in." Edward explained slowly.

I paused thinking it over.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Sure I'm pissed and hurt with how he handled things… but jail? He thought in some fucked up way that he was trying to help us. I mean, I don't think I can trust him again, but guys like Emmett don't belong in jail. Guys like Alec do. Do you want to press charges?" I looked up at him.

He eyed me for a moment.

"I'm still pissed the hell off. I keep thinking if I got those letters you wouldn't have gotten in the situation that you're in. I still want to kick…" he trailed off when I flinched. He sighed and kicked a rock away.

"I hope you don't because it won't solve anything. Violence never does, it just makes things worst. We don't know what would've happened if you got the letters and there was no way for Emmett to know what I was wrote about. This situation is Alec's fault alone."

"You're better person than me. It could be so easy for you to blame everyone for this mess. How you keep thinking clearly is beyond me." He offered me a small smile. "Should we give Tanya call then, I hopefully we can get Alec, put away. The sooner the better."

"Okay," I replied nervously.

**LB**

We headed back to the house together and into the living room. Edward stopped short so I ended up running into him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing now?" Edward snapped. I moved around him to see Emmett by the door with a duffle bag over his shoulder.

"What does it look like? I know I'm not wanted around here anymore, so I'm getting out of your way," Emmett answered.

"So you were going to just run and vanish on us." Edward's arms were across his chest as it heaved in anger.

"I left a note, I figured you weren't speaking to me," he answered glumly.

"Well, you're right. What you did was completely fucked up, Emmett. I want nothing more than to kick your fucking ass," Edward hissed.

I backed away nervous that Edward would start swinging in a minute. My movement caught his eye and the anger changed to sadness. He took a deep breath before turning back to Emmett. "Do you know we could press charges for what you did with the letters?" Edward demanded.

I turned when Alice came up beside me. She waited for me to glance at her before taking my hand.

"Is that what you want? Because I will turn myself in if you want." Emmett offered meeting his stare. "I'm sorry that I fucked everything up by hiding the letter. I'll do anything you want to fix it."

"I don't think there is anything you could do to fix it. I can't even see how we are supposed to be friends after this. How am I supposed to trust you with the two people that I love more than anything in life, after you nearly kept them from me and they could've died?" Edward's fist clenched and I took another step back.

"I would never lay a hand on either of them." Emmett grew angry now. "I'm not like my father."

"I guess that makes you more like your whore mother," Edward scoffed.

Emmett flinched and his jaw tightened but he didn't say anything.

"Edward," I spoke up because I thought that he went too far.

He glanced at me again before closing his eyes and hanging his head back. After a long moment he straighten up and looked at Emmett again. "We're not going to press charges. As much I hate you right now for what you did, your ass doesn't belong in a jail cell," Edward stated.

"Thank you," Emmett said quietly.

"Don't thank me. Thank Bella. She is the only reason why you're still breathing," Edward retorted stepping further away from Emmett, much to my relief.

Emmett turned to me and opened his mouth.

"Emmett, maybe you're right. I think it will be best that you leave."

Thinking that if he stayed around the animosity in this house would be too high to be comfortable for anyone. He nodded before reaching for the door again.

Before he could take another step, Masen came running into the room.

"Mommy, Daddy, look what I got." He held out a large frog in his hands.

Jasper followed behind him smirking. He paused looking uncertain when he took in the situation.

"I see." I forced a smile on my face. It wasn't too hard seeing Masen so happy.

"That's a big frog, little buddy, what are you going to do with it?" Edward looked glad for the distraction. The whole situation with Emmett was momentarily forgotten as the room focused on the little boy and his frog.

"Can I keep him? Uncle Japer said I had to ask." He didn't wait for answer before he shoved the frog in Alice's face. "Look, Auntie Alice."

"I see him," Alice leaned away. Her nose crinkled slightly, but she still smiled.

"Uncle Japer bet me a whole dollar you wouldn't kiss him." Masen held the frog closer to her.

"What?" she glared at a still smirking Jasper.

"Come on, Alice, kiss it. I would like to see if it will turn into a prince." He smiled cheekily at her.

"I'm not a princess. Maybe your mom can give the frog a kiss?" she suggested.

"But mommy is a mommy. That make her a queen. You're pretty like a princess. Please! I'll give you my dollar." I watched as the puppy dog eyes came out. Alice's face struggled to stay resilient, but she was quickly wavering. Then Masen's lip started to pout she crumbled.

"Fine." She took the frog from Masen. She brought it up and closed her eyes. She puckered her lips and kissed the frog on the head. Just as her lips touched the frog he let out a loud croak. Her eyes flew open and her face soured before she dropped the frog, who promptly started hopping around the room with Masen tried to catch him.

"Ewww," she wiped the back of her hand over her lips.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me. The guys weren't much better as they snickered.

"Where Uncle Em go? I wanted to show him my frog." Masen stood up with the frog in his hand. The laughter ceased abruptly as we looked towards the open door. Emmett had left while we were distracted.

"He had to leave," Edward told Masen kneeling next to him.

"No. I want him to stay. Make him come back." Masen's face fell.

"I can't do that." Edward frowned back at Masen. Masen shook his head and tears started to form. He turned to me.

"Mommy," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry…" he didn't let me finish before he shoved the frog at Edward and ran out the door. "Masen, come back here." I called after him. I followed quickly with the others behind me. Edward handed off the frog to Jasper and quickly passed me on the steps.

"Uncle Em, wait!" Masen screamed as he ran as fast as little legs would take him down the driveway.

Emmett stopped and turned around, when Masen reached him her wrapped himself around Emmett's legs. I paused at the bottom of the steps and Edward stopped a few feet from them and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Emmett knelt down to talk to Masen face to face. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but Masen shook his head several times. Emmett raised his fist for a fist bump, but Masen ran from Emmett still in tears. He ran past Edward's reach and headed straight for me. He crashed into my legs nearly knocking me over and started sobbing. I picked him and sat on the stairs just held him.

Emmett remained kneeling, but had the heels of his hands over his eyes as he seemed to be shaking too. He looked up and met Edward's cold stare with red rimmed eyes. After a moment he rose to his feet, and with a nod of his head, turned and walked down the driveway.

Masen's tears slowed to sniffles. "Mommy, was Uncle Em really a very bad boy? He said he was bad," he asked.

"He did something he shouldn't have that hurt a lot of people's feelings," I answered brushing the hair off his face.

"But he apoljayed, can't he just get a time out?" he asked.

"It's more complicated than that, sweetie. I'm sorry." I kissed his forehead not correcting him while he was this upset.

"Will I see him again?" He looked up at me with watery eyes.

"I'm not sure." I knew I couldn't make any promises.

"But he's my friend." His lip trembled.

Jasper came down the stairs with the frog in one hand and a note that he passed to Edward in the other. He sat down next to us on the steps.

"Do you know what Emmett is going to do?" he asked Masen who shook his head.

"He's going to keep an eye on Mr. Alec so that he doesn't hurt anyone else," Jasper explained.

"Really?" Masen asked hesitantly.

Jasper nodded and I looked up at Edward, who sighed and crumpled the note into a ball.

"So, Mommy and Daddy, are we keeping this little guy or bringing him back to the river?" Jasper changed the subject holding the frog out to Masen. He let go of me and took the frog with watery smile.

"Please can I keep him?" He looked at the frog with so much love.

"Masen, I don't know, he's used to the wild. We don't have any place to keep him or other supplies." I tried to reason with my already upset three year old.

"We can put him in my parents' bathtub." Edward suggested.

I gave him an incredulous look. Esme would have a fit if she found out.

"I think it's the perfect place." Edward gave me a knowing wink. "One of us can take a ride to Port Angeles to a pet store later."

"No need to go that far. Newton's now sell fish. So they have tanks." Alice mentioned.

"Really?" I turned to see her at the top of the stairs. She nodded.

"It was Jessica Newton's, formally Stanley, idea. She figured if fisherman like to fish they might like to look at fish too." Alice shrugged.

"Well, then we can go there later and get supplies. So what are you going to name him?" Edward asked, stooping so he could see Masen and the frog better. Masen bit his lip as he thought.

"I'll call him, Em Japer Longlegs. Em for Uncle Em cause I will miss him. Japer cause Uncle Japer helped me find him." Masen grinned then looked at us for approval.  
"I think that's a good name." I agreed. "You could call him E.J. for short."

"Okay," Masen seemed happier now.

"Let's get E.J. settled in the bathtub and then wash you up for lunch." I stood up and placed Masen on his feet.

"Alright, Daddy, will you help me?" He looked up at Edward.

"Of course," He took the frog in one hand and Masen's hand in the other. They disappeared into the house together.

"Esme is going to have a fit if she finds out about the frog in her tub." I shook my head.

"At least she didn't have to kiss it." Alice scowled. She stomped down the steps and held her hand to Jasper. "You owe me a dollar."

"I only promised Masen the dollar." He snickered at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine, if I have to kiss a frog, so do you." She quickly planted a quick kiss on his lips and stomped back up the steps and into the house leaving a stunned Jasper behind.

I let out a snicker and turned to see that Emmett was gone from sight. "Is he really going after Alec to keep an eye on him?" I asked hesitantly.

"Something like that." Jasper stood up. I gave him a worried look. "Don't worry he knows what he is doing." Jasper disappeared into the house.

Emmett's parting words from the kitchen earlier rang in my head, that he would fix if it if it was the last thing he did.

"Oh, god, Emmett, what are you going to do?" I frowned as I hugged myself.

**A/N: So Emmett has left for now. I know there will be mixed feelings on that. Poor Masen is a little heartbroken, poor guy. **

**A little insight into Rosalie. Many of you have asked about her. She will show up eventually but not for a while. The same with Carlisle and Esme. **

**Jasper didn't know what was going in the living room when he arrived with Masen. If he did he would've held Masen back from going in. He was just trying to get Alice back for the banana.**

**So Tanya, Kate and Irina are the FBI agents that have been watching Bella, Masen and Alec. Remember even though there was suspected abuse they never witnessed it first hand and Bella didn't confide in them so there was only so much they could do. **

**Back in the chapter 3 where Emmett spotted something in Bella's neighborhood, but brushed it off. He saw the trio, but didn't want to say anything. He thought it was just a coincidence. **

**Thank You For All Your Reviews!**

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**Preview Alert**

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**Preview alert: **

"**Would the name be by any chance Alec?" Jasper came up to my side with his arms full of stuff. **

"**That's it." They both squealed in sync causing me to flinch. "Hi, Jasper." **

"**Ladies," I could see the strain in his eyes as he tried to stay polite. "Do you by chance remember when he told you this?" Jasper asked turning on the charm better than I could with them.**

"**Umm, it was some point during the summer. Right, Jessica?" Lauren seemed unsure.**

"**Yeah, it was just after I found out I was pregnant with Mickey. In fact, I was walking out of the doctor's office and saw Bella in the waiting room. Remember, you flirted with him in the parking lot, but he said he was waiting for his girlfriend Bella and that she pregnant with his baby and he wasn't the kind of guy to fool around on her." Jessica nodded. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH: 11**

**EPOV**

While Masen took his nap, Jasper and I escaped from the house for a while, only after Jasper assured me that Alec was still in New York. After all the shit that went down with Emmett, I needed to get out so that I could get my head on straight. We headed to Newton's to get the supplies for Masen's frog and some fishing equipment since I didn't own any.  
We parted ways in the store, and I headed to the fishing equipment as Jasper went towards the tanks. I was looking at some smaller rods that looked just right for a kid Masen's age when I heard them.

"Oh. My. Gawd!"

_Please let that not be her_, I begged.

"Lauren, do you see who I see?" Jessica's shrill voice was loud in the otherwise quiet store.

Not Lauren too. I haven't missed those harpies at all since I left Forks.

"Oh. My. Gawd! It's Edward. Hi, Edward. It's me, Lauren."

I turned to see two girls that liked to make Bella's life a living hell in high school. Which was mostly the reason why I couldn't stand them. I wouldn't put it past the two of them to have started the rumors back then. Their wardrobe was even less then in high school, and back then they were known as the school skanks twins. They were literally known for doing everything together including the football team. Minus three members. Myself, Jasper and Emmett.

"And Jessica. Remember me. I'm a Newton now." She palmed her large belly with her left hand showing that she was very pregnant.

"Soon to be Crowley." Lauren held out her ring that was barely a speck on her finger.

"Congratulations, ladies," I smiled tight lipped. "Jessica, looks like you and Mike have been happy." I looked pointedly at her stomach.

She giggled obnoxiously. "Baby number three, or as big as I am possibly three and four." She giggled again. I nodded politely, but my mind was trying to calculate the timeframe in my head. She had to be pregnant about the same time as Bella with their first.

"Again, congratulations." I nodded politely.

"Aww, you're so sweet." Jessica cooed. "Isn't he sweet, Lauren?"

"He's the sweetest, Jessica." Lauren nodded her blonde head. "It's a shame that Bella was a slut and cheated on you like that. You always were too good for her." She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

My temper flared as soon as they insulted Bella in front of me.

"Bella never cheated on me. And if anyone was too good for anyone then she was too good for me. I was the idiot that dumped her for no good reason. I didn't even know she was pregnant with my son." I hissed at them.

They looked at each other confused.

"The baby was yours?" Jessica rubbed her stomach. "Are you sure?" She sounded out like she was talking to a toddler. "I thought she married the baby's father or something."

"Yes, he's a carbon copy of me."

The girls looked perplexed as if they were trying to solve a difficult math equation or for them simple addition.

"But that's not what the guy said. Right, Lauren?" she looked over at her blonde friend.

"Right, Jessica. The guy said it was his." Lauren nodded her head.

"What guy?" I demanded.

"Oh what was his name… I think it was Alan." Jessica gnawed on her lip, giving me the opposite affect that Bella does when she bit her lip. Jessica looked like she was about to really bite hers off.

"No… I think it was Alvin." Lauren shook her head.

"That's a chipmunk, Lauren." Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah,"

I was about to tear my hair out. I swear my I.Q. had dropped about 20 points after being here.  
"Would this be him?" Jasper came up to trying to hold his stuff in one arm while the other extend his cell phone. He was showing them a picture of Alec from parking lot when we first saw him.

"That's him." They both squealed in sync causing me to flinch. "Hi, Jasper."

"Ladies," I could see the strain in his eyes as he tried to stay polite. "Do you by chance remember when he told you this?" Jasper asked turning on the charm better than I could with them.

"Umm, it was some point during the summer. Right, Jessica?" Lauren seemed unsure.

"Yeah, you're right, Lauren, it was just after I found out I was pregnant with Mickey. In fact, I was walking out of the doctor's office and saw Bella in the waiting room. Remember, Lauren, you flirted with him in the parking lot, but he said he was waiting for his girlfriend Bella and that she was pregnant with his baby, and he wasn't the kind of guy to fool around her." Jessica nodded.

"Oh yeah. I remember that, Jessica. I was so pissed Bella stole another guy right from underneath us." Lauren scoffed. "That's why we told your mom how Bella had cheated on you and got knocked up."

I opened up my mouth to say something to the hypercritical bitches, but Jasper elbowed me and shook his head. I clamped my mouth shut, even though I wanted to scream at them that they were lied to and Alec was an abusive asshole. How dare they spread the rumors and even approach my mother with them, all because I didn't look at them twice in high school.  
"Thank you, ladies, for your help." Jasper dismissed them.

"Anything for you or Edward," Lauren batted her eyes.

"Yes, you two will always the ones that got away." Jessica sighed then patted her belly. "Baby's hungry, I guess it's feeding time again." She giggled as she turned to waddle away. "Coming, Lauren?"

"I wish, Jessica," Lauren winked at us before following Jessica out of the store.

"The nerve of those two…" I started to blow up, but Jasper silence me with a look.

"Not here. Just grab what you need and let's get out of here. Then we will talk." I nodded tightlipped and grabbed a couple of adult rods as well as a tackle box that came with a starter kit inside since I had only a vague idea what to get.

We carried our items to the register to check out, finding Mike behind the cash register.

"Let me pay for the stuff for the frog." Jasper insisted. "Emmett and Alice already got him a bunch of stuff, it's my turn to get something for my nephew."

"You have a son?" Mike gave me a strange look.

"Yes, I do and before you can ask, yes it's with Bella. It was my son she was pregnant with," I snapped coldly.

Mike raised his hands in defense. "Chill. In fact, I'm glad he's yours. It makes more sense that what the rumor mill spewed," Mike said quickly.

"Rumors that were started by Jessica and Lauren." I pointed out in irritation.

"Now hold on. They shouldn't have, but that guy did say he was the father." Mike defended his wife, which I guess was only natural.

"Bella was never that type of girl." Jasper declared before I could.

"Of course not. That's why I was shocked when I heard it. It didn't make sense to me. Bella was head over heels for you. I actually thought…never mind. If you're the father it doesn't matter." He started to scan things in.

"No, I wanted to hear it. What did you think?" I demanded.

Mike turned red and looked around.

"I thought the dude raped or drugged her," He explained in a lower voice. "It made better sense to me than for her to cheat on you. But, if the baby is yours then he didn't harm her." Something in the expressions on our faces almost made him drop the tank he was holding.  
"Holy Crap! Are you telling me he hurt her? Fuck, I knew I should've said something to her, Tyler told me I was just jealous," he whispered yelled. "Shit, I knew that guy was too good to be true. He was just too perfect, you know. It was like he was trying to be like you or your father, only better. With his blond hair slicked back with oil and was just too perfect, like some sort of ken doll. Is she okay and the kid?"

I was surprised by Mike's concern. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought he was.

"They are both fine, but in case anyone asks you know nothing. It is better for everyone," Jasper warned and he nodded seeming to understand. "That includes Jessica. You don't want to get involved with this guy. In fact, if you see him play dumb and then call Chief Black."

"I'll do that. I'll talk to Jessica too. She wouldn't do anything that could put the kids in danger." Mike nodded in understanding and went back to his task of checking us out.

"Did you say this was for a frog?" he asked looking at Jasper.

"Yeah, we caught one earlier." Jasper nodded.

"You're going to need to feed him. I got some crickets that will work." He bent down and stood up a moment later with a small container of small crickets.

"Do you have worms, too, for fish bait?" I asked thinking it would save time from looking for them in the yard.

"Yup," He bent down again and brought up another container. "You're going to want to keep that in the fridge or somewhere cool." He instructed.

**LB**

Less than ten minutes later, we were back in the car. Jasper didn't start the car right away.

"Why did you stop me in there? Those two bitches deserved to have their asses handed to them for how they treated Bella." I turned to face him.

He looked at me calmly which upset me even more at first.

"Easy. You start something with them and get them all pissed off and the rumors will resurface and possibly get back to Alec that Bella's in town," he answered stoically.

I rubbed my temple with my fingers. He was right. If we said too much it would be all over town within the matter of an hour.

"This thing with Alec is getting more and more messed up. Have you called the FBI agents yet," he asked.

"Shit, no, we got distracted with Emmett leaving." I frowned.

"I'm pretty sure, to the point that I would wager money on it, that Alec screwed with the other letters," Jasper said.

"Emmett messed with the letters." I growled.

"Emmett admitted to the first letter, not the others. He specifically said the other night. He sent the first letter back thinking if it was important enough she would try again." Jasper reminded me. I thought back to Emmett's exact words last night. I was so pissed off and trying to control myself to not start beating the fuck out of him in front of Bella that I hadn't processed what he said. But Jasper was right. Emmett continuously said 'letter' not 'letters'. He only admitted to interfering with one letter.

"Are you sure, why didn't you mention this earlier when you asked about pressing charges." I leaned back in the seat.

"I wanted to check with him before mentioning it again, since he was drunk during his confession, but he left before I got a chance. I could give him a call, but I'm certain that it was Alec. He had the most to gain." Jasper started to pull out his phone.

"Hold on." I stopped him. I was thinking everything out in my head out loud. "Bella said she didn't meet Alec until after the second letter. But according to Jessica and Lauren he was already around and telling people the baby was his." I paused.

"Exactly. I think he was purposely set it up so it would appear that Bella cheated on the town's golden boy so she would become an outcast." Jasper concluded.

"So that she would feel alone and would welcome the attention of someone that appeared to be a good guy that liked her. He purposely made her an outcast." I ran a hand though my hair and tugged.

"How did she miss that he was around at that time?" I pondered out loud.

"He probably used a false name and stay out of her sight. She said she was aware of the rumors that she cheated, she might have not known how they were started." Jasper answered.

"But why her?" Jasper questioned tapping the steering wheel.

"She told me that Alec needed to be married with an heir to take over for his father. Since he was gay, he obviously wasn't going to go the traditional route of finding someone and settle down. He was angry with her when he found out the boy's last name was Cullen and she wanted me to be included in his life. That is why she thought he didn't know about the letters. When he found everything out that is when he started beating her." I paused as I thought about what Mike said. "My father's blond and my mother's hair is browner than mine. He thought Masen would look like either him or Bella. He might not have known about my hair or eye color since I inherited it from my grandmother."

"Which is why he focused on Bella," Jasper nodded his head in agreement.

"It still doesn't explain how he found out she was pregnant or about the letters." I balled my hand and hit my forehead as I tried to think.

"Well who did she tell by that point? Charlie and Alice. Though, I can't see either telling Bella's secret." Jasper thought out loud with me.

"There's Renée, but she pretty much wrote Bella off. She also didn't know about the letters. The only other person would be… Fuck…she wouldn't" My jawed ticked as I thought of the most likely culprit. She was a bitch but she wouldn't gossip behind Bella's back. But then Emmett's actions have caught me off guard.

"Who?" Jasper prompted elbowing me in the ribs.  
"Rosalie!" I spat venomously.

"Aw, fuck, she wouldn't, though. Would she?" Jasper blew out a breath.

"Well, it's either her or Renée. Take your pick?" I shrugged then waved my hand.

"Damn, I'm starting to feel like I'm on some twisted soap opera. Every time you think you have something figured out, another curve ball comes." Jasper shook his head.

"Yeah, well, as entertained as you are, can we get back to Masen and the girls?" I was starting to get anxious from being gone for so long."

"Everything is under control. Peter is still keeping an eye for Alec for us. We agreed it would be good for people to see us out and not with Bella or Masen. That it would hopefully throw Alec off that they're not with us." Jasper started the car anyways and pulled out. "Plus, Emmett is on a mission to follow him even more closely."

"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid." I grumbled irritably.

"Unfortunately, I thinks he's desperately trying to make amends to both of you." Jasper sighed heavily as he turned on to Fork's small stretch of highway.

"Yeah, well maybe he should." I scoffed.

"Maybe, but after learning everything we just found out, Alec could've targeted her even if Emmett didn't send back the first letter. Even if you didn't break up with her there is a good chance he would've targeted her." He pointed out both factors. He was right. I couldn't blame Emmett any more than myself.

"Fucking asshole. If I ever get the chance he's as good as dead." I made a dark promise.

"And I'll be there backing you up to make sure you make it back to your family." Jasper nodded. I brooded the rest of the drive home.

**LB**

When we arrived back at the house Masen and the girls were waiting outside on the steps. Masen hopped up and started to head to the car before it reached a complete stop. Bella grabbed him by the back of his pants and made him wait until the car stopped. She let him go and he barreled towards us. I opened the door and was barely out before his little force hit me around the legs and his arms wrapped around tightly.

"Daddy, you left without me." He was frowning looking up at me. His eyes looked like he might have been crying.

I felt like crap.

"I'm sorry, little buddy. I thought I would be back before you were up from your nap," I apologized picking him up and giving him a hug.

"I thought you were gone like Uncle Em and weren't coming back. You can't leave without me, okay?" he begged, his big green eyes looked worried.

I could see past him to Bella who was watching me closely with a tight smile.

"I wish I could promise you that, but there may be times I may need to go for a short bit without you. But I promise I'll always come back, okay?" I pressed my forehead to his and he nodded.  
"I got you something. Would you like to see it?" Again he nodded then wiggled to get out of my arms. I placed him on his feet then opened the back door. I pulled out the child's size rod. I held it out to him. His eyes grew big and he reached for it.

"Careful with this. No running or swinging it around." I warned him before letting go.

"Look, Mommy, Daddy got me a fishing stick." He held up for it to see.

"It called a rod," I chuckled as I ruffled his hair.

"It's a rod." He beamed.

Bella smiled and her eyes sparkled with some amusement.

"I can see that. It was very nice of your daddy to get that for you. What should you say?" She stood up and stretched slightly.

"Thank you, Daddy. Can we fish now? Please." He added on the please after a moment.

"We can go after breakfast tomorrow. A smart man once told me early morning is the best time to fish."

Bella's smile faltered slightly when I referred to Charlie.

"Okay," Masen, looked slightly disappointed.

"Why don't you see what Uncle Jasper bought. I think you will like that too." I suggested.

Masen hurried around to the other side of the car.

Jasper was leaning against the car and when Masen reached his side he opened the backdoor. He pulled out the tank that was loaded with supplies.

"This is all for you to help you keep E.J.. This will be his new home." Jasper bent down so Masen could see it better.

"Cool, thank you." Masen examined the items.

"You're welcome." Jasper held his hand for a fist bump and Masen bumped it.

"Can I carry it?" Masen tried to take it out of his hands, in the process dropped his rod.

"Why don't you let me carry it in. But you can carry this for me." Jasper handed him the container of crickets.

"What is it?" He tried to look in.

"Those are crickets to feed your frog," Jasper explained.

"My frogs is going to eat them?"

I was worried for a minute he might get upset. "Awesome." His face broke out into a huge grin. "Can I watch?"

Jasper laughed and nodded, glanced at Bella to make sure it was okay. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes looking amused. While Alice wrinkled her nose looking mildly disgusted.

"Let's go. I bet he's hungry." Masen started for the house.

"Masen, you can't leave your rod there," Bella called out.

"Oh, I forgot," he bent down to pick it up. He awkwardly tried to hold on to both.

"Here, I'll take the rod and put it in the garage for tomorrow." I took it from him.

"Thank you." He ran up to his mom and Alice. "Look," he exclaimed excitedly thrusting the container to them.

Alice jumped back making Jasper laugh. She shot him a glare, I'm sure if Masen wasn't there he would've gotten a rude gesture as well.

"I see them. Make sure you keep the lid on until one of us helps you feed E.J., okay." Bella grinned not seemingly disturbed at all by the insects.

"Okay, come on, Uncle Japer." He started up the steps.

"I'm coming," Jasper grinned shifting the weight of everything else before following him.

"Hey, Alice, can you take this and put it in the fridge for me?" I held out the other container towards her, hiding my grin.

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously, holding it very cautiously. "What are night crawlers?" she read the label.

"Worms," Bella answered with a smirk.

"Eww, gross," she almost dropped the container, but Bella caught it.

"I'll take care of it." Bella promised snickering.

Alice wiped her hand repeatedly on her jeans.

"I need to go wash my hands." Alice hurried into the house.

"You did that on purpose." Bella scolded me, trying to hide her smile.

"Possibly." I shrugged. "I'm sorry that Masen got so upset that I left. I thought we would be back before he woke up," I apologized.

"It's fine, Edward." She stopped my apology. She started up the steps then stopped; she turned and bit her bottom lip as she seemed to be thinking about something. "I was think of contacting the therapist that Carmen mentioned when she was here. I was also thinking it might be a good idea for Masen to talk to someone as well." She looked for my input.

"I think that will be a good idea," I agreed. I was glad she was seeking help on her own. Also for Masen, who I suspected was bottling up his own emotions, so he didn't upset Bella. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Masen saw Alec abuse her.

"Good. We should call the FBI too. We got distracted earlier." She started to turn again.

"Bella?" I called out then paused as I got distracted as a memory surfaced from high school.

_I arrived home after a week away at football camp, tired and sore. I also missed Bella like crazy. It was the longest I have gone without seeing or talking to her. While I was gone she had gone to her mother's in Florida. I was curious to see what she would look like with a tan. Perhaps she brought back some bikinis she could model for me. _

_I grinned as my mother parked the car because I saw Bella sitting on the steps waiting. She stood up when she saw us and started to wave with a huge smile on her face. Her hair was loose around her shoulders in waves and since it was actually sunny you could see all the red. I felt my own smile nearly break my face since it was so big. I was out of the car before my mother had the keys out of the ignition. I took quick strides over to her._

"_Welcome home. I made you some brownies," She said shyly, holding out the plate to me.  
"Thank you, baby." I took the plate with one hand and pulled in for a kiss. It was a small chaste one since my mother was there. "I missed you." I told her as I kissed her nose before pulling back. _

_She blushed, but seemed pleased to hear it. "I've missed you too. How was camp?" she asked._

"_Long without being able to talk or see you. Though I think I run faster than I did before. I had to since Emmett was put on the opposite for scrimmages. It was either run faster or be crushed by that mother fucker when he tackled you." I grimaced rubbing my shoulder for affect, maybe I could get a massage from her later. What I got was a smack to the back of the head. _

"_Language, Edward." My mother scolded, Bella hid a smirk._

"_Sorry," I grumbled, rubbing the back of my head now. _

_Bella let out a small giggle._

"_Bella, dear, it's good to see you. How was your time with your mother?" My mother gave her a small hug. Bella hugged her back as her smile faltered._

"_I didn't go. She cancelled on me. She decided to go on a trip with her new boyfriend. No kids allowed." Bella looked a bit awkward standing there as she started to wring her hands together. _

_I grabbed one hand with my free hand and gave it a squeeze. It pissed me the fuck off that her mother would treat her so badly. It was like Bella was an obligation rather than someone she loved. My mother didn't look pleased either._

"_That's a shame, dear. If I had known we could've done something together this past week. I had free time on my hands without having to worry about that one and with Carlisle working extra shifts." My mother gave her a gentle smile. "Would you like to stay for dinner tonight? I'm making a lasagna with homemade garlic bread?" she offered._

"_I don't know. I told my dad I would cook tonight." She bit her lip._

"_Well, I'll call and invite him too. What do you say?" my mother insisted. _

"_That's sounds great. Can I do anything to help?" Bella offered._

"_It looks like you already made dessert." My mother took the plate from my hands. _

"_Hey, those are mine," I pouted. _

_Mom grabbed one off the top and bit into it moaning. _

"_They're good too. I'll just bring these into the kitchen for you. You, bring your bag out back and leave it on the deck until I get it in the wash." she wrinkled her nose._

"_It doesn't smell that bad," I huffed, my ears burned slightly at the insinuation that I smelt bad. I didn't want Bella to think it either._

"_Uh-huh," Mom rolled her eyes and entered the house. _

_Bella giggled and I pulled her to me and hugged her close. _

"_Do I smell bad?" I asked burying my nose in her sweet smelling hair. _

_She jokingly pushed me away. "Only like a wet dog," she wrinkled her nose then pinched it waving her hand in front of her. The way her brown eyes sparkled I could tell she was teasing me. _

"_Bella?" I gave her what she called my crooked grin. _

"_Mmmm," she smirked back at me. _

"_Run," I warned her. _

_Her eyes went huge as she spun to take off. I caught her in a few steps and tackled her as soft as I could to the ground. Once I had her trapped I started to tickle her unmercifully until she begged me to stop. _

"Edward?" Bella was now in front of me waving a hand.

I blinked and looked at her.

"Did you need something?" She looked worried. She was still pale and had rings under her eyes from lack of sleep. The bruise on her face was faded but you could still see faint signs of it.

I started to second guess telling her what Jasper and I concluded earlier. It would only upset her. She did deserve to know, but I wasn't sure how much more she could take at the moment.

"Maybe after Masen goes to bed, we can all watch a movie or something. I think we all need a break from what's been going on." I suggested. She thought it over and nodded.

"I think a movie sounds nice. As long as it doesn't have any violence or angst. I don't think I can take much more at the moment," she agreed.

"Great, it's a date." She started to frown. "Hypothetically speaking, of course. I expect Alice and Jasper to join us."

Luckily, I was saved by Masen who wanted to show Bella his new tank all set up. She entered the house and I went to take care of the fishing gear.

**A/N:**

**No nothing is going happen since the boys went to the store. Alec is in NY and they aren't being followed or spotted by the wrong people. **

**However, the boys were able to figure some things out. Many asked about the letter vs. letters and now you know that Jasper picked up on it. The other two were a little too angry to pick that up right away. So now they're pretty sure Alec was targeting Bella from the very beginning. Bella knew of rumors but not how they were started. Not many knew she was pregnant either so the list of suspects is short, Charlie, Alice, Renée and Rosalie. Edward is thinking Rose, anyone else? **

**Don't blame Edward for not telling Bella right away. He trying not overwhelm her, but he will tell her. **

**Thank You For Your Reviews!**

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**Preview:**

**(EMPOV)**

**I reached the headstone I was looking for and I crouched down. I placed the small bouquet of wild daises in front of the stone. **

"**Hi, Grandma. I brought you some flowers. Sorry they're not much. Forks still doesn't have a florist." I greeted my grandmother, the woman that raised me since I was about five. She passed away two years ago, I was granted a very short leave to come home and bury her. Luckily, most of the arrangements had been made in advanced. **


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH 12. **

**(EmPOV)**

I walked to the cemetery before I left town. I knew that it was best for everyone that I leave. Edward no longer trusted me, not that I blamed him. I have screwed up majorly. The look of devastation and hurt in Bella's eyes haunted me and sickened me to the core.

I reached the headstone I was looking for and I crouched down. I placed the small bouquet of wild daises in front of the stone.

"Hi, Grandma. I brought you some flowers. Sorry they're not much. Forks still doesn't have a florist." I greeted my grandmother, the woman that raised me since I was about five. She passed away two years ago, I was granted a very short leave to come home and bury her. Luckily, most of the arrangements had been made in advanced.

"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed in me. Not because of the flowers, but because I screwed up so badly. My father was right, I am a dumb ass. Maybe Rose was right about me too," I started to confess.

_I arrived at Rose's parents' house just before sunset. I went all the way to Port Angeles to get her red roses for tonight's date. Only the best for my Rose. I went up to the house and knocked on the door.  
A moment later, Rose appeared in the door. She looked gorgeous as always in a red dress that seemed to be almost painted on her body. Her long blonde hair hung loosely down her back. _

"_Emmett, what are you doing here?" She seemed surprised to see me._

"_We have a date. Did you really forget? I even got you your favorite flowers." I held out the bouquet. She took them from me with a tiny frown._

"_I did forget. I have plans tonight," she responded flatly._

"_Well, change your plans. I leave in a few days for boot camp. Who knows when we will have another chance? Where are you going anyways, dressed like that without me?" I asked in confusion. _

"_You might as well come in. I need to talk to you about something anyways." She disappeared back into the house leaving me to follow her. She tossed the flowers on the table in the entryway next to an expensive looking vase that had about twice as many roses as I brought, at least. I felt briefly sheepish that I couldn't afford to bring her more. _

_She stood in the middle of the living room with her back to me. _

"_Rosie, what's going on?" I touched her shoulders only for her to shrug me off. _

_She turned around and her eyes were cold and hard. "I have my engagement party tonight," she replied. _

_My heart skipped a beat. I had to have heard her wrong._

"_Funny, I don't remember proposing." I joked but it came out lame._

"_You didn't. A man by the name of Royce King did. We are to be married." She held out her left hand. A large diamond sat on her finger. I didn't even know that it was possible for them to be that big. I suddenly felt as if my heart had been ripped out and stepped on._

"_You've been cheating on me. What the fuck, Rosalie?" I reacted with anger._

"_Come on, Emmett. You can't be stupid enough to think that we were going to last forever." She sniffed, turning up her nose._

"_Yes, actually. I thought things were going rather well. I love you and I thought that you loved me," I retorted.  
"Seriously? It was great in high school. I was head cheerleader and you were the dumb jock, captain of the football team. But high school is over and so are we," she was blunt. There was no emotion from her of our time together over the last few years. _

"_That doesn't mean we have to break up. We are good together. You don't see the others breaking up." I ignored the fact she called me a dumb jock. It wasn't the first time I heard it from people._

"_There is a slim chance if any that the others are going to make it. Face it. Alice is a city girl, pure of heart. Jasper is a country boy. The two aren't going to mix since one would be always sacrificing for the other. It will eat away at them and they will break apart too. As for Bella and Edward, sure the two are simply perfect for each other. Bella is the most sweet and caring girl I know. She's also very pretty. With Edward far away she will be swarmed by other boys vying for her attention. Bella would never cheat, but it's only a matter of time before another will slowly slip into Edward's vacant place and Edward receives a 'Dear John,' letter." She paused and her face even turned even colder as she sneered. "As for me. I need a man who can support me," her voice was cold and condescending._

"_And you don't think I can do that?" I flinched trying to hide the hurt I was feeling._

"_No, I am used to being well off. Royce can give me the life that I'm used to. You…you're still a boy trying to play solider. I'm not going to wait around for you to come back while I could have a man who will put me first." Her words hit me like a slap in the face._

"_When did you becomes such a bitch," I snapped at her angrily. _

"_I've always been a bitch." She shrugged then examined her nails. "I've moved on to better pastures. You should do so as well." _

"_Oh, I'll move on alright. There's nothing now stopping me from fucking any babe I come across. They will be better than you too, since they won't be frigid. They would probably love a man in uniform." Her eyes narrowed at me. _

"_Then we're agreed. So leave, you're stinking up the place." She pointed to the door. _

"_Gladly," I growled back at her. I turned on my heels and stormed from the room. I paused and picked up my roses. I would give them to someone else who deserved them more. _

"_Are these from him?" I turned and sneered at the larger bouquet. _

"_Bigger and better," she taunted from the doorway. Without realize what I was doing I picked them up, vase and all as I stormed outside with them._

"_Where are you going with those?" Rose was on my heels. From the front-stoop, I heaved the flowers, vase and all into the street where it shattered. I turned to face Rose. Her eyes were large and she was pale, and surprisingly for once speechless._

"_Fuck you, bitch." I flipped her off before getting into my jeep and driving off. _

"I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was saving everyone from being hurt like I was when Rose ripped out my heart so callously. You told me how what my mom did had changed my dad and I was worried that it might happen to one of the others. When I saw that letter for Edward, I thought it was a 'Dear John,' letter. Edward was already so depressed from the break up I thought it would send him over the edge if he thought Bella was happy with someone else. I never dreamed that she could be pregnant." I paused as I tugged at my hair. "Because I was an idiot I got her and a little boy in danger. I also lost my best friends, which I deserve. I'm not sure if I know how to fix this one or if anything I can do will ever make up for it, but I have to try. I love and miss you, Grandma." I kissed my finger tips and placed it to her name.

I stood up and moved a few row ahead to a different stone. It was easy to recognize since it had the police emblem etched into the stone.

"Chief, I know we didn't talk too much so I'm not sure what you thought of me before, but I can imagine what you think of me now. I'm, sorry, sir, that you will never get a chance to see how great of a kid your grandson is. Though Bells has been through some tough shit, she is still a strong person, so I know she will be okay. I'm sorry for my involvement, perhaps if I wasn't such an idiot you would be here today and Bella would never would have gotten together with Alec.

I swear I meant well, I'm just a screw up. I promise you that I will make it better, sir. I will protect your daughter and grandson until my dying breath." I saluted him as a sign of respect and left.

I was a quarter of a mile down the road when a car slowed down beside me.

"Hey, Emmett, is that you?" I recognized Ben Cheney from high school in the car.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you Ben?" I stopped and nodded my head.

"Not too bad. I'm on my way to Port Angeles to run an errand for Angela. We are going to be married next month." He smiled. I forced a smile trying to be happy for him.

"Congrats, man. Angela is a cool girl." I shifted my bag to start walking again.

"Can I offer you a lift somewhere?" he offered.

"Actually, a lift to the bus station in Port Angeles would be great." I accepted as I headed to the passenger side of the car.

"No, problem." Ben unlocked the door for me and I tossed my bag in the back and got in.

We were almost to Port Angeles, when my cell started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and check the caller I.D.. Seeing that it was Jasper I answered it.

"Yeah," I greeted him.

"I just wanted to clarify something with you. You sent back a letter or letters?" he asked without any type of greeting.

"Just the one that arrived in the beginning of August. I swear I didn't have anything to do with other three." I explained.

"That's what I thought. We think Alec did. In fact, I'm sure he did. We just talked to Lauren and Jessica. Alec was around way before Bella realized. He started the rumors around town that she was pregnant with his baby. He was targeting Bella from the very beginning." Jasper informed me. My fist clenched at my side, I was going to kill this guy for targeting her.

"Motherfucker," I grumbled. Ben gave me a worried look and I shook my head.

"Emmett, it wasn't your fault. He would've came after her regardless of the letters. Do you understand me?" Jasper stated slowly. I was still guilty. I started the ball rolling and it went out of control. I still had to make it up to them.

"I hear you," I answered.

"Don't go do anything stupid thinking you need to make it up to them. Do I need to pull rank on you?" He had to remind me how he and Edward out ranked me even though we signed up at the same time.

"No, sir," I answered stiffly then hung up on him.

"Everything alright?" Ben shifted nervously in his seat.

"Everything will be fine. I just made a mistake I need to take care of." I hit 'ignore' when Jasper called me back.

I was going to follow Alec whether the others approved or not. Once I got my chance I would take care of him for laying a hand on Bella.

**LB**

**A.V. POV**

I stood in the hotel room looking out the window at the city of New York. I had just came from visiting my 'father' from the hospital. He wasn't my real father, I knew that. He knew it as well. However, it was a closely guarded secret. His enemies would use it against him and he would appear weak that me and my sister were an ex-employee's kids rather than his own.

He couldn't have children of his own so he was happy to let us pose as his kids for his benefit. He needed me as an heir, that is the only reason why I wasn't drowned like an unwanted puppy at birth.

The man I called my father disgusted me to no end. He was the reason my poor sister had been driven insane. I walked in on him fucking her like it was no big deal. Aro treated her like a whore starting at the age of thirteen. But he didn't love her, that is for sure. The sicker thing was that she loved it. Loved him. She tried to please him by killing our real father in a hot tub, though the police thought that he was her boyfriend. She got locked away after pleading insanity,

He was a powerful man and I could do little to stop him. I had to bide my time and play nicely until I could take over. Then I would destroy what he had built from the inside. But in order for it to work, I needed Isabella and her kid. It would've gone fine if she could just follow the plan. But no, unlike my mother and sister she had a backbone and couldn't follow orders. I found out all about Bella and that she was pregnant from my boyfriend. She was supposed to be broken and thankful for me to take care of her and her baby. I tried to make sure of it by making her alienated by her hometown. I even went as far as lying to her ex's mom by telling her that Bella came to me because she needed a real man and I gave her proof that the baby was mine.

_I arrived home slightly drunk. I was already in a bad mood. The baby's hair was red and his eyes looked more green than blue. I thought I had it made. I never saw the baby's father, but his baby's fraternal grandfather was blond and had blue eyes. His fraternal grandmother was a brunette and had brown eyes. So I thought I was set to pass this kid off as my own. _

_I entered the house and found Isabella at the table with a baby book out. I glanced down and felt enraged._

"_What the fuck, Isabella?" I hollered. _

_She glanced up at me in shock._

"_Alec, quiet, Masen is sleeping," she whispered. "What is wrong?" she glanced down at the book. _

"_What is wrong? Why is his last name Cullen? I'm the kid's father," I snapped._

"_His father is Edward. I'm not going to take his child from him just because he broke up with me. He is still a good person." She frowned. _

"_I'm the one who has been there for you and Masen. Not him. I deserve to be the kid's father." I slammed my fist on the table making her jump. _

"_You can still be a father figure, but Edward is still his real father and has every right to be. He just doesn't know about Masen, that's why he hasn't been here. If he did he would be here, I believe that. I have tried contacting him through letters and if he ever finds out about Masen and wants to be part of his life I'm going to welcome that." She looked nervous but also determined.  
Of course, I knew about the letters to him. When I was investigating her I found out through sources that the first got returned to sender. That's is when I found someone that handled the mail for Edward's base and with a little money she easily agreed to send back any letter with a Washington zip code. I even offered her incentive if she could seduce the guy._

_What I didn't know is that Bella would be so determined to contact him still. She was destroying all my carefully crafted plans. Without thinking about it I backhanded hard enough to make her fall off her chair. I stared at her in shock. I never hit a girl before; it made me sick, but also the adrenaline coursed through my body making me feel powerful and in control._

"_Change the fucking birth certificate. I'm his father. Not Edward Cullen," I ordered._

"_No!" She refused as she looked up at me looking terrified. I kicked her hard and she cried out in pain._

"_Yes," I kicked her again and her head went back hitting the edge of the table leg and she blacked out. _

_Horrified, I fell to my knees and checked her to see if I killed her. She was still breathing and was already starting to come around. The baby was screaming his head off. I glanced at him and felt panicked. I didn't trust myself to touch him. _

_I fled the house ashamed at what had I did. _

Unsurprisingly, she was gone by the time I got back. I knew she would run to her dad so I headed to Forks. He wouldn't let me see her though and threatened he was going to press charges. He even tried to arrest me, that was when I shot him. Isabella was standing there petrified of me holding the baby to her. I used it to my advantage to control her. I found her weakness, her loved ones, especially the little boy.

Overtime I became a monster. Hitting Isabella became like second nature to me. It was easy to use her as a punching bag since she wouldn't fight back. I never laid a hand on the kid though, I kept my distance on purpose. Hitting Isabella was bad enough, I couldn't bring myself to harm a child too.

If my father ever suspected that Masen wasn't mine or if I was gay, he never said anything. In fact, he seemed to have no interest in Isabella or Masen. Never once did he ask to see a picture. He wanted me to keep them hidden in Arizona until he passed and I took over. He didn't want his enemies to know about them.

How the FBI found out about them I don't know, but as far as Bella knew I sold insurance. I didn't trust her with the truth.

The hotel door opened and my man entered. He tossed a yearbook at me.  
"Here's the bitch's yearbook." He laid down on the bed, crossing his legs and arms behind his head.

"Did she say she remembered Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks?" I asked opening the book.

"I couldn't ask, she's away right now." He snickered.

I used violence to control Isabella while he used drugs and alcohol to control his wife. The poor dear kept trying to get sober and clean, but he kept her off the wagon to control her, by slipping it to her if necessary when she wasn't any the wiser. She blamed herself for her fall too and for what happened to Isabella. It was perfect.

I found the Cs and frowned. This Tyler Crowley looked nothing like who I saw, but one over did. It was Edward Cullen. The kid's dad. She lied to me about him.

"She lied," I hissed. I tossed the book on the bed. I started throwing things into my suitcase. I had to get back and make sure she was still there. And this Edward was gone.

"What?" he yawned and sat up.

"One of them was the kid's father. Edward Cullen. I have to leave." He grabbed the book leafed and though.

"Was this the other guy?" he showed me a picture of an Emmett McCarty. I shook my head.

"No that's wasn't him. The other guy was tall and blond." I answered. He looked relieved as he put the book down.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked lazily.

It didn't concern him, like it did me. Of course, he didn't have as much riding on it as me.

"I need to make sure she is still there." I went into the bathroom to grab my things.

"Isn't that why you have security cameras," he called out. I had checked them earlier and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But still something was off. Would she be stupid enough to find him again? Would he check up on her? The blond was glaring at me in the supermarket parking lot after I shut her leg in the door in my rush, so I knew I had slipped. I left the mark on her face knowing that it would keep her inside for a few days.

"Yes, but she lied. I have to make she doesn't do it again or tries to contact him." I reentered the room. I dumped everything in my open suitcase.

"I'll miss you. How long until we can be together?" he asked.

"I'll miss you, too. The old man is on his death bed. He doesn't have much longer," I answered.

"What are you going to do about her and the brat afterwards?" he asked.

The easy answer would be that they would have to be eliminated. But I didn't know if I could bring myself to kill a baby like that. If she had been more cooperative I would've just give her something as compensation. I didn't think that would work now.

"You need to toughen up about this. Do it for us. No loose ends," he demanded, his eyes were cold and hard.

"Right," I felt sick inside.

**A/N:**

**So a peak into two heads. Do you still blame Emmett after what Rose did? Yes, she was engaged to another man before she broke up with Emmett. She is a bitch and even admits to it. She even planted it in Emmett's mind the others were going to get hurt. He didn't come up with it on his own.**

**As for Alec, he's a bit messed up in the head. Not that excuses what he did, but hopefully explains him better. He knows Bella lied in the supermarket and he is on his way back. So he's going to find out soon that Bella and Masen are gone. **

**Small hint toward who his boyfriend is and his wife. Puzzle pieces should start coming together. Right now it is the calm before the storm. **

**Clarification in case of questions. The police report Jasper got said Jane killed her boyfriend. It was cover up. It was hers and Alec's bio dad she killed him to impress Aro. No she didn't have a sexual relationship with her real father. Jane is certifiable insane. **

**Thank You For All Reviews**

**LB  
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**Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview:**

**I knelt on forward on one knee on one side Masen while Bella crouched on the other side. **

"**Okay, one more time, Cheese!"**

"**Cheese!" we answered back in unison, the camera snapped again. Masen started to take off soon after.**

"**Uncle Japer, look," he was in such a hurry that he bumped into Bella causing her to lose her balance. She fell backwards towards the river. I made lunge for her but my foot slipped on a rock and I sent us both into the water.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH. 13**

**(EPOV)**

It was just after breakfast as the group of us headed down to the riverbank. Masen was running ahead of us. Alice and Bella were following more slowly behind us talking quietly. Both had said that they didn't want to miss this.

"Okay, first thing we do is find a good spot," I told Masen as we reached the riverbank.

"How about here?" he raced over to a spot where the water was moving swiftly.

"A calmer area would be better," Jasper explained looking around. "Over there looks good." He pointed to an area slightly down river from where we were.

The river had formed a slight inlet. The girls settled on a fallen log as Jasper and I placed our things down by the riverbed's edge.

"Can I put the worm on?" Masen asked picking up his rod then making a grab for the worms.

I grabbed the container before we had worms everywhere.

"Let me help you. The hook can be very sharp," I warned him. "Why don't you pick out a worm from the container?" I suggested.

He bent down and managed to get the lid off with a little persistence. He dug his hand in and pulled out several worms dangling on his fingers that were also now covered in soil.

"Cool. Look." He held out his hand to show everyone.

"Ew…" Alice wrinkled her nose.

Bella rolled her eyes and just smiled.

"Put them back, please, before you lose them." Bella requested nonchalantly. Since she fished with Charlie for years so she was unphased by the worms. Masen dropped them in one at a time until he had one left. He wiggled it around with a big smile on his face.

"It reminds me of spa…ghet…ti," he sounded out the last word slowly.

"Again..ew," Alice blanched, suddenly her face became more mischievous. "Hey, Masen, have ever heard about the book _How to Eat Fried Worms_?"

I shot her a look of disapproval, I didn't want Masen to get any ideas to eat the worm.

"No." Masen shook his head as he looked very interested.

"It's about a boy who was dared to eat worms," Alice explained and the evil glint in her eyes grew. "You know how Uncle Jasper gave you a dollar for getting me to kiss a frog. Well I think we should dare Uncle Jasper to eat a worm. If he does it, I'll give you a whole ten dollars." Alice smiled cheekily at Jasper.  
"Alice." Bella gave her an irritated look.  
"What?" she batted her eyes innocently.

"I rather that you and Jasper didn't use our son to get back at each other or for foreplay, or whatever it is that you're doing," I announced lowly.

Jasper and Alice both had the decency to look contrite. However, it was too late.

"Will you eat him?" Masen was dancing in front of Jasper holding up the wiggling worm.

Jasper looked at the worm then glanced at Alice with one eyebrow raised. He took the worm from Masen. He bent over and washed it off in the water. He stood back up, tossed the worm in the air, opened his mouth and caught it in his mouth and swallowed it whole.

He grinned and then winked at Masen and then at Alice. I sighed heavily in defeat. I suppose there was no way around it after Alice brought it up.

"Awesome. Can I do that?" Masen was awed by Jasper display. He dove for the container of worms.

"No," Bella answered quickly, giving Alice a disappointed look.

Alice hunched her shoulders sheepishly and mouthed 'sorry'. Masen dropped the worm disappointedly.

"Your mom is right. Besides, we need to save these guys for the fishes. Can you find me another one for your hook?" I distracted him quickly.

Masen bent down and dug the dirt pulling a good fat one. "Here." I took it from him and got it hooked for him.

"Alright, now this is how you cast." I held down a button and flicked my wrist. The cast went nowhere. I heard giggling behind us and chose to ignore it. My ears burned slightly in embarrassment.

"It goes more like this." Jasper tried to cast and it landed about a foot away. The girls started laughing even harder. "Can either of you do it better?" Jasper turned and challenged them.

Bella stood up and strode over. She took the rod from Jasper and with a quick smooth movement casted the line out. It landed in a good spot several feet away. With a smirk she handed the rod back to Jasper.

"You know how to fish, Mommy." Masen looked up with wide eyes.

"I do. Your grampa Charlie taught me when I was a little girl." She smiled sadly hugging herself slightly. She reached over and showed me the proper way to cast. I was able to cast out almost as far as she did. I handed the rod back to Masen who was smiling gleefully. I glanced over my shoulder as Bella took her seat next to Alice. Alice said something too quiet to hear. Bella nodded sadly before looking back at us. She gave me another sad smile before glancing back at Masen. She started to smile more genuinely.

"Masen, you got a bite," she called out.

I turned to see his bobber was bouncing and the line was tugging.

"What do I do?" Masen's eyes were wide. He almost dropped the pole but I caught it. I helped him reel in a nice sized trout.

"Look, I caught a fish!" Masen squealed excitedly. He poked at it and jumped when it started flipping on the line.

"Whoa, he's sippery," Masen commented with glee.

"He's slippery." I corrected.

"Uh huh," Masen didn't catch I tried correct him. He was so wrapped up in the fish. I chuckled and let it go.

"Should we free him or get him in the bucket to cook for dinner?" I asked him.

"Wait, I want a picture of Masen's first fish." Alice called standing up. I helped get Masen posed with his fish and stepped back out of the picture. "Say, Cheese."

"Cheese," Masen had an ear-splitting grin on his face. She snapped a picture.

"Okay, now one with your mom and dad." She ordered, then proceeded to gesture for us to get in the picture too.

I knelt on one knee on one side of Masen while Bella crouched on the other side.

"Okay, one more time, Cheese!"

"Cheese!" We answered back in unison, the camera snapped again. Masen started to take off soon after.

"Uncle Japer, look!" He was in such a hurry that he bumped into Bella causing her to lose her balance. She fell backwards towards the river. I made a lunge for her but my foot slipped on a rock and I sent us both into the water. We both stood up spluttering, cold and very wet.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Bella's face was registered in complete shock. Jasper had his hand over his mouth trying to conceal his laughter. Alice smirked and took a picture while her shoulders shook with laugher. Masen stared at us bugged-eyed.

Suddenly Bella broke out into peals of laughter beside me. She started laughing so hard she started to cry. After a moment she managed to control her laughter. "Why is it I always end up in the water when I go fishing with someone?" she still giggled.

"I don't know but if Charlie is watching he's probably laughing right now." Alice giggled with.

"Probably," Bella said wistfully, as she became more somber.

"I sorry," Masen looked upset.

"It's okay, sweetie, accidents happen." Bella smiled. "But that is one of the reasons why we say no running near the edge, okay?"

"Okay… I sorry, Daddy." He still looked upset.

"It's okay, I needed a bath anyways," I answered jokingly.

He grinned back at me.

"So, if I'm cooking that fish, we need to get it in the bucket." Bella made her way back to shore. She didn't react when I steadied her when she started to slip.

"I think we should let him go. I don't wanna kill him." Masen bit his lip.

"Here, let me see him then." Jasper knelt and removed the fish from the hook. He then tossed him into the river.

"I'm freezing, so I'm going to go change quickly. Do you want me to cast your line first?" Bella asked Masen as she rubbed her arms.

"I got it. I got too cocky last time. I know what I did wrong. Go ahead, both of you, before you get sick." Jasper picked up Masen's rod. "Can you get me a worm, bud?" Masen nodded and went for the container.

"Why don't you two just stay up there and get lunch ready. We can meet you back up there in about half an hour." Alice suggested.

I glanced at Bella who glanced at Masen who didn't seem to notice the exchange. Bella shrugged and agreed then started walking. I caught up to her and fought the urge to look at how her wet shirt clung to her body.

**LB**

_We ran back to car realizing too late that we were going to be caught in a storm. I held the car door open for her and she dove inside before getting in myself._

_I jumped in immediately, started it up and turned up the heat. _

"_I think I have some extra clothes in the car from practice if you want to change." I reached in the back and grabbed my bag, pulling out my sweatshirt and a t-shirt._

_I turned back to her. Her shirt clung to every curve of her body. Practically around the breast. Her nipples were pressed against the fabric. My hand reached out so that my thumb brushed against her. She hissed with pleasure, as she closed her eyes and bit her lip._

"_Is this okay?" I asked. She nodded and I reached down, slowly lifting up her shirt. Her bra had been white, but was now see through since it was wet too. I started off kissing her before moving to her neck while I caressed her breasts. She dug her hands into my hair and guided my head down until it was buried between the valley of her breasts. I brushed the fabric aside and kiss her breast tenderly before lightly sucking in her nipple. She moaned with pleasure and my pants tightened. Before this we hadn't done anything more than kissing. _

"_Back?" I mumbled into her chest. She pulled back and I glanced up at her hooded eyes. She bit her lip and nodded. I slipped though first then helped her back. She straddled me and I reassumed kissing the opposite breast. Her hips gently rocked into me and I moaned into her breast. _

_She pulled back then slid off my lap. "I think we should stop." She was breathing heavily while she looked at me apologetically. I kissed her lightly to show her I wasn't upset._

"_You're probably right. At least, we are warm now." I grinned cheekily._

**LB**

Bella and I quickly made our way up to the house. I pulled my phone that was inside a ziplock bag out of my pocket. Holding my breath I checked it and was relieved that it was still working.

"The ziplock bag idea was a great one. Thank you, I would've lost it if you didn't suggest it." I thanked her.

"No, problem. It was a trick Charlie had learned after he lost one too many to the water when fishing over the years." She shivered as she spoke. "I forgot how cold the water is here."

"Why don't you jump in the shower first to warm up? I'll change and start some lunch for everyone. Masen prefers smooth peanut butter right?" I suggested.

"Yes, and make sure you cut off the crusts, please," Bella answered. "Thank you for offering to make lunch."

"My pleasure," I held the patio door opened for her as we entered through the kitchen.

Bella went into hers and Masen's room and I entered through the guest room and went to my bag to grab a change of clothes. I hadn't bothered to unpack in case we had to leave in a hurry.

I was just pulling off my wet jeans when I heard the shower start up. To avoid inapropriate daydreams I grabbed my shirt and phone and left the room. I pulled my shirt on as I headed back down to the kitchen.

I tossed my phone on the counter as I went to the fridge and pulled out some fruit to make a fruit salad. I lifted a bowl down and placed it next to the cutting board. I was starting to peel an apple when my phone rang.

"Finally," I muttered when I noticed it was Tanya finally calling us back. It took them long enough. I pressed the speaker so I continue working.

"Edward Cullen," I answered.

"Ah, Edward, it's Tanya. I'm returning your call. I must say I'm very excited to be working with you. I think we will make great partners," her voice purred on the line.

I rolled my eyes as I ignored her hidden meaning.

"Actually, Agent Denali, Bella Swan and I both called you," I replied while I sliced up the apple.

"Please, call me Tanya." She insisted. "So she and the boy are with you?" she prodded.

"Yes. She and my son are with me at the moment. We couldn't leave them there in danger," I answered.

"No, I suppose I can see why you didn't. But you should have contacted us immediately." She reprimanded.

"Well, I didn't look at the card you gave me until yesterday. I had forgotten all about it," I answered truthfully moving on an orange.

"What is done is done. Where can we meet to get a statement? She needs to be prepared to give us as much details as she can about Alec's dealings, the more names, dates and types of drugs the better." Tanya started off on a tangent. I interrupted her quickly.

"Bella had been unaware of any of that. She wasn't aware he was dealing or of his family real business before we talked to her."

"Are you sure she knows nothing? What else can she even give us then?" She sounded very unhappy. Her tone was starting to piss me off.

"How about the fact that he has been beating her on a regular basis. Of course, there is also child endangerment," I answered rather harshly. Were they blind to it? It took Jasper and me all of one minute to see it.

"Unfortunately, that information doesn't help us." Tanya's reply pushed my anger through the roof. I slammed the knife down on the table and felt a sting, but I ignored it.  
"What do you mean that doesn't help you? He was hurting her daily and threatening her if she left he would kill our son. He targeted and trapped her unknowingly into a relationship for his self-gain. Somehow he found out she was pregnant before she even met him and started rumors around our small hometown that he was the father, purposely turning the town and my parents against her until she felt alone. He interfered with the mail and had the letters she tried to send me about Masen back unopened. He tried to claim my son as his own and started beating her when she refused to allow him. Then he killed her father when she went to him for help. How many more crimes does he need to commit for you to process him?"

"In order for him to be charged for most of those crimes Bella would have to press charges with the police and ask for a restraining order. We don't handle domestic abuse. If we can prove he messed with the mail we could process him, but that would be like a slap on the wrist for someone like Alec. He would be back out on the streets in a couple of years. Charging him for murdering a police officer is possible but he had been cleared of those charges and someone is already serving time for it. Bella would have to testify against him," Tanya's voice was cool as she responded back. "Look, he doesn't know she is gone yet. If she was to go back, so she could…" I stopped her there.

"Are you crazy? There is no way in hell she or Masen are going back. You act as if don't care what happens to them as long as you get evidence of drug charges against him!" I hollered. There was dead silence on the other line and then a huff.

"Edward, you have to understand that Alec's family has to go down no matter what it takes. If we have to take risks to get results, we have to do it. We have to leave emotions out of it." Did she just tell me that Bella and Masen were expendable?

"You, bitch," I hissed. There a small scuffle and a new voice came on the line.

"Mr. Cullen?"

"Who am I speaking to now?" I asked irritably.

"This is Kate, I'm one of Tanya's partners. We met briefly the other day. How are Bella and Masen doing? Mrs. Cope mentioned that he was feeling poorly," she sounded polite and a whole lot more caring than Tanya.

"He's better, thank you for asking. Bella is doing alright, but obviously she's scared for everyone's lives more than her own," I answered. I took a deep breath and calmed down since she didn't seem as abrasive. "There has to be something you can do. If you knew that she was being abused why didn't you do something?" I pleaded.

"As Tanya said rather bluntly, it was out of our area. However, we did try to speak with her but she was very reluctant to talk at all with us. Although we suspected abuse we never saw it. She would have to agree to have left with us and then pressed charges with the police still. We couldn't force her to leave. If she asked we would have helped her to the right people. Unfortunately, protocol sucks sometimes and doesn't make rational sense." I could see her point somewhat better now. We had practically had to threaten to drag her from there ourselves.

"Well, your partner makes it sound like they were…are expendable and she was just using Bella for information." I accused, still angered that Bella had been in danger and they just sat back.

"I apologize on behalf of her. Tanya is a bit tightly wound when it comes the Volturi family. She's determined take them down and came across crass. We wouldn't expect Bella to come back here and put herself, or your son, in danger," Kate still sounded sincere to her credit.

"So we should come back and have charges pressed and an official restraining order in place." I scowled not liking the idea of bringing them back there. There was silence on the other line for a while.

"In normal cases that would be advisable. I'm not saying in any way that he should go free but there are other things to take in to account. Seeing where we are dealing with a high profile family it might make it more dangerous and place a target on her back. If you escaped you should probably stay gone. In fact, get as far from here as possible, like out of the country. From our inside sources we know that Aro Volturi is on his death bed and doesn't have much longer. That means Alec will have to step up and he would need Bella and Masen at his side when he does. Right now they are a big secret that very few know about. Alec will come looking for them sooner than later," Kate explained and warned.

"My friend and I will keep them safe, we have military training. We also have a source still inside military intelligence who has been lending us a hand." I decided to inform her.

"I'll stay in touch too. I'll contact my superiors and see if we can lend more of a hand. All though she isn't witness to his dealings, she was to Chief Swan's death, perhaps we can use that to get her into the witness relocation program," She offered.

"Thank you." I nodded, thankful for her help.

"Kate," Bella's voice startled me and I turned my head. She was on the stairs looking pale with a few tear streaks running down her face.

"Bella, how are you, dear?" she asked.

"I'm alright as I can be. I know someone who might be able to help you. Aro's wife, Suplicia, was put in a similar position as I was. In fact, Alec isn't really Aro's real son," Bella said softly hugging herself.

"We knew about the paternity. However, we will look in to Suplicia. I doubt she would want to turn in her son though." Kate seemed a bit hesitant.

"I'm not sure if this helps, but Alec is gay, which is why he need someone like Bella," I spoke up.

"We are fully aware of Alec's friend, Royce," Kate sounded slightly amused.

Bella's eye grew large and she covered her mouth with her hand and she started to panic.

"Bella, what's wrong," I went to grab her elbow.

She jumped then looked at me opening and closing her mouth.

"Bella, are you alright?" When Kate got no answer, she asked me. "Is she alright?"

"I'm not sure. Something you said triggered something," I answered. "Bella, love, what is it?" I prompted.

"Royce…as in Royce King." Bella went forward until she was at the counter closer to the phone.

"Yes, do you know anything about him?" Kate asked.

Bella nodded and then seemed to realize Kate couldn't see her.

"Yes. He's the guy that our friend Rose is married to from high school. Our friend Alice said she has been in and out of rehab for substance abuse. She might be in danger too," Bella's speech was panicked.

However, I was pissed the hell off. "It was her then," I hissed angrily.

"Explain that?" Kate patience seemed to be wearing thin.

"Rose is the one who served Bella and Masen up to Alec on a silver platter!" I spat venomously.

Bella mouthed 'what' to me looking alarmed. I held up a finger to quiet her.

"When Bella first found out she was pregnant only a few people knew. Rose was one of those few and one of the only ones who knew Bella had tried to write to me. Before Bella officially met Alec he went around telling people she was pregnant with his baby and that she had cheated on me, alienating her from most the town. He also had a hand in returning the letters 'return to sender' to her. Then he swooped in as her savior."

Bella's eyes went from confused to furious. I had a feeling she was upset I didn't explain this earlier.

"The only way he could have found out about Masen is if Rose told him or Royce." I finished.

"Interesting. This was a bit more complicated than we originally thought. I'm definitely going to push for witness relocation. I'll be in touch." She hung up.

"When were you going to tell me about Rose?" Bella's voice shook as she accused me of keeping something from her.

"I didn't figure out it was Rose for sure until just now. I found out about the other stuff yesterday and I started to tell you, but you looked so tired and stressed the last thing I wanted to do was to add to the pile. So I changed my mind. I was going to tell you, just since it was about the past I figured there was no rush." I watched to see if she was going get more upset.

"Rose? Are you sure? Emmett admitted to the letters." Tears of frustration brimmed in her brown eyes.

I hated that I had to tell her another friend had betrayed her.

"Emmett, admitted to only one letter. Jasper and I saw Jessica and Lauren in town. They told us about the rumors. Then Mike confirmed what they said, only adding his thoughts that Alec had raped you, because he didn't believe you would cheat on me." I explained.

"I still find it hard to believe Rose would just hand me over like that? What if he gave her no choice?" Bella looked even more upset than after Emmett's confession.

"It's possible she didn't mean to or he did. But she has always been a bitch and only looked out for herself. Look at what she did to Emmett. She dumped him and married another guy straight away for money. She was the catalyst for everything for her own selfish need. She probably ran her mouth to Royce about how you were knocked up. Royce probably hand delivered the information to Alec. She might have not done it intentionally, she also showed little concern for you. Didn't she tell you to give Masen up after all?"

She started to rub her forehead and looked miserable. "I have a headache," she grumbled. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I was upset with myself that I got so worked up that I upset her.

"Can I get you anything for it?" I reached out a hand to touch it and froze, realizing I was probably overstepping.

She looked up but didn't seem to tense, her eyes narrowed on my hand. "Edward, you're bleeding." She grabbed my hand to inspect it.

The cut on my palm wasn't bleeding anymore, just some dried blood.

"I've must have done it when I was talking to Tanya," I answered as she pulled me to the sink to clean it.

She washed it very gently, like she was taking care of Masen.

"Thank you," she told softly me as she gently padded it dry with a paper towel.

"For what?" I asked reaching above her for bandages kept in a cabinet.

"For saying what you did to Tanya about me. Defending me and Masen." She took the bandage and place it on tenderly. Her fingers traced the bandage then the lines on my hand.

"She was wrong and heartless. She wanted to put the people I love most in danger."

She glanced up at me shyly from underneath her eyelashes and it was all I could do to keep from kissing her. I expected her to saying something about not talking like that.

"Why wasn't I worth fighting for back then? Why did you give up so easily?" Her question pulled at my heartstrings.

"You got it backwards. I wasn't the one not worth it, plus I was young and so foolish to believe what I was doing was for the best."

The door opened and Masen bounced in. Alice was right behind him. I saw Jasper on his phone on the porch pacing.

"I caughted four fish. Uncle Japer only caughted one. And Auntie Alice caughted a fish too," He announced bouncing over to us. He hugged both our legs.

"It's pronounced caught. That's great, sweetie, your grampa Charlie would be so proud of you." Bella smiled.

"You fished?" I asked Alice. I wished I had stayed to see that unfold.

"Yup. One last thing I'm no longer a virgin about." Alice smirked.

"What's a virgin mean?" Masen looked confused looking at Alice. Alice's smirk fell and she turned bright pink.

"Um." She looked nervous as she started to squirm.

"It means when you're new at something and do it for the first time." Bella was quick to respond without missing a beat. Alice let out a sigh of relief. "Time to go wash your hands and use the bathroom before lunch." Bella instantly distracted him.

"But they're clean, see." He held his hands up for inspection.

"You have been touching worms and fish, please go. Auntie Alice has to wash hers too." Bella pointed to the stairs.

"Yup, come on. We will go together." Alice held out her hand. Masen grabbed it and she led him up the stairs.

I felt the brush of Bella's lips to my cheek. I touched the spot with my fingers as it still felt warm after she pulled away.

"You're wrong by the way." She managed to say before Jasper entered.

"That was Peter. Alec is back on his way to Phoenix, we think he knows," he announced. I saw Bella's eyes flutter and start to roll back just before she passed out. I caught her before she hit the ground.

**A/N:**

**A little bit of fun, before the heavy in this chapter.**

**Yup, Tanya is a bit of bitch. She just doing her job and lacks some compassion. At least Kate is a help. FBI doesn't handle domestic abuse cases from what I could find. So Bella would have to go the police for charges to be filed. **

**I was asked about Charlie, Santiago is currently had been found guilty with the murder weapon on him so that case had been closed. It could be reopened, just difficult to prove without Bella's testimony. Beside he was off duty at the time and it appeared to be home invasion that just happened to be the home of a cop. **

**Edward is convinced that Rose told Royce or Alec about Bella being pregnant for selfish reasons. Bella thinks if it was her that she might have been forced(though she may just not want to find out that one more person betrayed her.) . One is right. But who?**

**Thank You For All Reviews**

**LB**

**LB**

**LB**

**Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview:**

**After my shower I joined them downstairs in the kitchen. When I spotted two sheepish looking people, I got an idea. I went over and made a point of checking the lock on the pantry door. **

"**Yup, that's another lock that works. Just checking the locks in all the rooms. How's the lock on your door, Alice?" I asked. I heard Bella snicker from the stove. Alice and Jasper both turned bright red.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH. 14**

I laid on my bed with my hands behind my head staring at the ceiling. The light from the moon filled my room as I replayed things from earlier tonight.

After Bella recovered from passing out, she acted almost like a robot without showing any reaction; I was really concerned about her, but she didn't want to talk about it. She spent the afternoon doing something quietly with Masen as Jasper and I checked the perimeter of the house, and set up some security cameras that Emmett had picked up. I filled him in on our call with the FBI as we worked. He was as disgusted with Tanya as I was. He also pointed out to me that if Bella went into witness protection there was a good chance that I would be separated from her and Masen.

"Edward," Bella's soft voice called from the bathroom doorway.

I sat up resting my arms on my knees. "Everything, okay? Is Masen having another nightmare?" I asked her.

"He's fine, sleeping like a log at the moment. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you." She seemed to second guess herself for coming to me.

"You're not bothering me. What is wrong…is it about Alec?" She didn't have to say anything to confirm her fears.

I slid off the bed to walk over to her. She watched me with cautious eyes but didn't back away. I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Everything will work out. We are going to be safe," I promised.

"I feel like a sitting duck waiting for him. He's going to try here first, I just know it. We should leave go to Canada or further like England or something." She chewed on her lower lip nervously.

"Do you have a passport?" I asked.

She shook her head frowning.

"I didn't think so. Either Kate or Peter needs to help us get them before we cross any borders. It would probably be even better if it's a good false ones, so we can hide your whereabouts as best as possible." I reached up and cupped her face. "One of the reasons we chose Forks is he may not think to look in the same place twice. We are hoping that he will think you wouldn't return here, especially after your father's death. Beside we have the home court advantage here and will be ready for him." My thumb brushed her cheek.

"You plan on him coming here, don't you? It's what you want. You're going to kill him." Her eyes looked fearful as she accused me of our real reason.

"Yes, if I have it my way. I want to kill him after everything he has done to you," I answered honestly.

"You can't, you will go to jail." She begged, tears were gathering in her eyes.

"Not if it's for our protection and in self-defense," I reassured her. My other hand came up and rested on her waist.

"What if it backfires, and he kills you first?" her voice trembled as her eyes closed then opened as a few tears started to streak down her cheeks. "Masen just got you. He can't lose you. I….I can't lose you again either," she cried.

"You're not going to lose me, love. I'm right here. I'm not that foolish young boy anymore. I will fight for the both of you." I pressed my lips to her before she could protest.

Her lips remained still at first, then slowly and lightly they moved against mine.

Her hands slid up my chest to behind my neck and they tangled themselves in the dog tag chain. My hand that was cupping her face, slid down her back and reached her waist. I lifted her, and her legs came around my waist automatically, like she was magnetically attracted to me.

I walked us slowly backwards to the bed without breaking the kiss. I hovered over her on the bed, with her hair fanned out. I broke the kiss to stare in her hooded eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, fighting the urge that I've kept at bay for four years since no one could hold a beacon to her.

"Yes, I need you," she whispered huskily. "I'm tired of fighting against it. I still love you."

"I love you, my angel." I kissed her again, and pulled off her shirt.

I felt her toes hook my boxers and pushed them down until I was able to kick them off.

I kissed down her smooth skin until I got to her lacey underwear. She lifted her hips as I slid them from her body.

"You're more beautiful than I remembered." My voice was thick with emotion as kissed her lips heatedly.

She pulled away and grasped the chain. "May I?" she asked shyly. I nodded and ducked my head so she could slip it off. I watched her take it and slip it over her own neck. She kissed the tags before dropping it so it nestled between her breasts.

My desire for her over took me and I rolled us over. I wanted to see her ride me. She slowly slid herself on to me and started to rock her hips. As she rocked, her breasts bounced, the tags and her ring glittered in the moonlight as they bounced against her milky white breasts. She started chanting my name as her head tilted back and her long hair flowed down her back touching my legs.

Edward…Edward…Edward… "Daddy!"

I woke up with a start. Masen was sitting on top of my chest looking down at me with a huge smile. My morning wood instantly deflated. I touched my chest and found my tags still there, it had all been a dream.

"Daddy, wake up." He bounced slightly.

"Masen," Bella hissed quietly from the doorway. "I told you not to wake him."

"It's okay." I yawned. "What's up, little buddy."

"I wanted be the first to say happy birthday. Happy Birthday, Daddy and Happy Daddy's day too." Masen slid off me and bounced on the bed.

"Thank you," I caught his bouncing form and gave him a hug. I swear the kid was part frog himself.

"We are going to make you breakfast," he announced as he wiggled to get free.

"Good I'm hungry as bear. I was about to eat you up." I blew a raspberry on his belly. He squirmed and giggled some more.

"Stop, I gotta go potty," he pleaded.

I let go immediately and he jumped off the bed and ran for the bathroom.

"Whoops!" I gave Bella a bashful smile that I almost caused him to have an accident.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled back. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, I completely forgot about it myself." I grinned.

"I'm sorry he woke you. He was supposed to go wake up Uncle Jasper and Auntie Alice," she said the second part louder for him to hear. Masen reappeared in the doorway.

"I did. Uncle Japer wasn't in his room. I found him though, he was hiding in Auntie Alice's bed, under the covers." He grinned.

I choked back a laugh and Bella looked a bit horrified.

"And where was Auntie Alice?" I dared to ask, I couldn't help a chuckle that escaped me when Bella glared at me.

"She was in bed too. She said they were playing hide and seek. She said we could play outside after breakfast, if it was okay. Do you like hide and seek?" he asked innocently.

"I do. Maybe we can all play." I agreed. I shifted to the side of the bed and placed my feet on the floor and stretched with my arms over my head. I felt Bella's eyes on me, so I may have flexed my muscles in my abs and my arms a bit more than I had to.

"Mommy, can we started making daddy's special breakfast now?"

She broke her stare and glanced down at him. Her cheeks were a bit flushed.

"Sure, let's go." she disappeared quickly.

**LB**

After my shower I joined them downstairs in the kitchen. When I spotted two sheepish looking people, I got an idea. I went over and made a point of checking the lock on the pantry door.

"Yup, that's another lock that works. Just checking the locks in all the rooms. How's the lock on your door, Alice?" I asked.

I heard Bella snicker from the stove. Alice and Jasper both turned bright red.

"Works great," she squeaked out.

"Oh good, I just wanted to double check for the future in case you needed to use it." I hinted.

She nodded looking embarrassed.

"You know, it's not like it's never happened to you," Jasper accused.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I shrugged taking a seat at the table. Okay so I lied.

_Bella and I were getting hot and heavy on her bed when we were interrupted by someone pounding up the steps. We pulled apart while she gave me an alarmed look._

"_What's he doing home?" she whispered. _

_I shrugged and rolled off the bed and quickly under just before there was knock on her door._

"_Come in," Bella sounded nervous. _

_The door opened and I heard Charlie come in. _

"_Hi, Daddy, what are you doing home so early?" Bella asked. _

_I cringed because she never called him daddy. He was going to figure out that she was hiding me._

_I felt the bed dip as Charlie sat on it. I stuffed my fist in my mouth so my breathing wouldn't be too loud._

"_Just stopping in before you head to bed. Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed." _

"_I'm fine. It's just warm in here," Bella answered quickly. _

"_Okay," all of the sudden the bed started moving and squishing me slightly as Charlie bounced on it. _

"_What are you doing?" Bella asked._

"_Your bed is getting squeaky. Can you hear that?" He asked. _

_Shit! We've been caught was my immediate thought._

"_No," Bella lied. _

"_Here you jumped on it." His weight was lifted off the mattress. _

"_I don't think that…." He interrupted her._

"_Jump on it." He left no room for arguing. _

_The bed moved slightly._

"_You can do better that," Charlie scoffed. _

_Bella bounced harder and I tried not to call out._

"_Hear it now? I think we should get you a nice new twin bed this weekend." He knew, her bed was currently a Full and he had a loaded gun on him. I was dead._

"_Okay," Bella agreed quickly._

"_Alright, have a nice night." His voice was further away by the door. Maybe he didn't know. "Oh, Bells_, _I almost forgot, do you know where Edward is?" _

_She must have shook her head because he continued._

"_If you hear from him, his parents called looking for him, he was supposed to be home a while ago," he told her._

"_Okay," Bella squeaked out._

"_Oh and make sure to tell Edward that I'm taking him fishing on Sunday," he told her._

"_He might be busy." My poor angel tried to save me._

"_Not if he knows what's good for him." I heard her door close. Once he was on the steps Bella slid off the bed and lifted up the bed skirt. _

"_I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she whispered._

_I nodded and started to drag myself out. _

"_Oh, and, Edward, your mom wants you to pick up some milk on your way home!" Charlie yelled up the stairs before the front door slammed. _

_Bella cringed apologetically. I was fucked. Better yet, I was fish bait. _

"Here, Daddy," Masen was carefully carrying a plate over to me. I took it from him and placed it front of me as he climbed into my lap.

"Look, it's a happy face pancake. Mommy makes them for my birthday all the time. I helped with eyes, nose, mouth and ears." He pointed to the plate where there was a round pancake with green grape eyes, a cherry nose, orange slices for ears, scrambled egg hair dyed a reddish-orange and a bacon mouth.

"Wow, you guys did a great job." I kissed the side of his head. Bella came over and placed the other plates of other food on the table.

"Do you need any help?" I offered.

"Nope. Todays is your birthday and Father's day, you are excused. Jasper, would you mind getting everyone some drinks, please?" she asked.

"Sure." He jumped up to help. He soon brought back the drinks everyone requested. Masen remained on my lap and ate from his own plate.

When we were done Alice and Jasper started the kitchen clean-up. Masen slid off my lap and started to pull on my hand.

"Come on, Daddy, we have presents too." He tugged with all his might trying to pull me off my chair.

"I get presents, too." I was surprised. When would they had the time for all that?

"Uh-huh. They are in the other room. Come on." Masen tugged again and I stood up so he wouldn't hurt himself pulling on me.

"Masen, maybe your daddy wants to wait to later." Bella suggested.

"Oh no, I want my presents now." I grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes at me and just smiled. "Okay." She stood up with us.

"Afterwards, I think we all should play a nice game of hide and seek." I gave Alice and Jasper a knowing look. Alice turned red and looked away. Jasper shrugged and mouthed 'What else were we supposed to tell him'.

"Alright, little buddy, lead the way." I looked down at Masen.

He pulled me into the direction of the living room. There was a small pile of gifts on the table. Bella followed us and took a seat on the chair tucking her feet under her.

I pulled the card off the top. It looked homemade with a picture that Masen's made. It looked like he attempted the letters of his name too.

"Did you make this?" I asked, he nodded. "Well, I think it's the best card I have ever gotten, thank you."

"You're welcome." Masen beamed. "Open that one first. Auntie Alice helped me."

I grabbed the present and tore the paper. It was a plaster square with two small handprints imbedded in it which had been painted green. Written under it was 'Masen age 3yrs 3 months'.

"Wow, this is great. Thank you." He smiled and grabbed the other present. It was bigger so I reached out to help him.

I tore the wrapper of what looked like a photo album. I glanced at Bella and she blushed shyly. On the cover was written: **Masen Charlie Cullen. **

**March 9, 2005**

**6lbs 6oz, 20 in.**

"It's a book about when I was a baby," Masen explained. I got slightly choked up as I opened the first page. There was Masen as a tiny newborn. His picture was taken while on the scale naked as a jaybird. He was so tiny. I looked at the next picture where he was screaming his head off while getting a bath.

"That's my virgin bath. I was probably crying 'cause they didn't give me any toys." Masen's reasoning made me chuckled as well as his use of the word virgin.

Bella giggled looking amused. I touched the picture of his feet prints which were also very tiny.

"Don't you like it? You look so sad," Masen asked as he leaned into me. He looked worried that I was upset.

"I love it. I'm just sad I missed it all when I was away." I gave him a hug. I looked over his head at Bella. 'Thank you' I mouthed to her.

She wiped a tear from her eye before she nodded.

I continued on through the book. Seeing images of Masen slowly growing up and all of his firsts. Bella neatly labeled all the picture with explanations. All the while Masen gave his explanation on things. By the end there still room for the book to continue.

I closed the book and gave Masen another hug.

"Thank you for my presents. Will you go see if Auntie Alice and Uncle Japer… I mean Jasper are ready for hide and seek?" I asked, to send him out of the room for a moment.

"Okay," he obediently ran out of the room calling out their names.

"Thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me." I thanked her profusely.

"A part of me always knew that you would want to be part of his life if you knew about him. Even though we broke up I knew you were still a good person and would be a good dad. I guess making that book gave me a small sense of hope for a better life for him," she softly said not looking at me.

Her admission that she hoped for me to come back gave me hope that having a second chance wasn't so far-fetched. I slid off the couch and knelt in front of her. I took both her hands in mine. She jumped slightly put didn't pull away. I raised them to my lips and kissed the backs of them both.

"You're an angel," I whispered locking eyes with her.

She stared back and something in her eyes flickered that she had been keeping dormant for a long time.

**LB**

While Masen was taking a nap Jasper and I wanted to run through a few more protocols in case of an emergency with the girls. We went outside in the backyard with the baby monitor on the deck in case Masen woke up.

"Okay, do both of you remember the security code for the panic room?" I asked.

"Yes," they both nodded.

"We want to show you some simple self-defense moves just in case," Jasper explained. "So who would like to go first?"

"I'll be all set," Alice answered.

Jasper gave her a look of disapproval.

"Alice, don't fight me on this…", and just like that Alice had Jasper on the ground by sweeping him literally off his feet. He sat up dazed as I had to turn away while laughing at him. It happened so fast I almost didn't see her do it.

"As I said, I'll be fine. I took both kickboxing and Taekwondo in New York." She grinned at Jasper who was staring at her with shocked expression. She turned and skipped over to sit in a chair on the deck.

"Okay," Jasper brushed himself off and stood up.

"Your turn." He turned to Bella.

She paled and took a quick step backwards away from Jasper towards me.v"I can't." She shook her head furiously.

"Yes, you can." Jasper took a step towards her and she looked like she was going to panic.

"Jasper, enough. Leave her alone," I ordered starting to take a step towards them.

Jasper didn't even look at me, but kept his eyes on Bella. "She has to learn to defend herself," he insisted.

"She won't need to. I'll be there. I don't plan on leaving hers or Masen's side," I argued.

"You can't promise that." Bella flinched at Jasper's retort and I clenched my jaw. "She needs do this herself."

"I can't hit you." Bella shook her head trying to back away again, but Jasper kept on stepping forward faster.

I knew what he was trying to do, but it still felt like it was too much for her to handle.

"Then you're weak just like Alec wanted."

I hissed at him for saying that to her.

"Jasper!" Alice snapped getting to her feet.

"You two stay out of this. She needs to do this without anyone protecting her," Jasper ordered. "Is that what you are, Bella? Are you weak? Are you going to just let me push you around too?"

She shook her head and tears sprang to her eyes. He was pissing her off and was starting to push her close to the edge.

"Then fight back!" he ordered.

"I can't hit you," she whispered giving up already.

"Because, you're weak," he growled.

"I'm not weak!" she yelled.

"Prove it." He was less than a foot from her now.

It took everything in me not step in and push him away from her.

"I can't hurt you." Bella's eyes clenched shut.

"You must. Pretend I'm Alec about to hurt you."

She remained still and didn't answer.

"What about for Masen? What if Alec was about to hurt or kill him? He will Bella. He will show up and kill him. Masen will die because you're weak." Jasper came within inches of her face and hollered at her.  
She finally snapped. Her eyes flew open in rage. "I'm not weak!" she screamed and her fist went flying and clocked him square in the nose. The impact made him stumbled back a few feet.

Her fists still flew at his chest pounding in her rage. He made no move to stop her blows but just let her go. She started to slow and to started to shake from head to toe.  
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her away. She fought to get away from me but I held on to her.

"Bella, calm down. You're okay, so is Masen." She stopped struggling and her chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm down. I turned her around and hugged her to me swaying slightly.

"You're okay. I've got you. You're safe." I stroked her hair as she started to cry into my chest. She pulled away and wiped her eyes before looking at Jasper. His nose was bleeding from where she had packed her first punch. He wiped the blood away with a tissue out of his pocket.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I don't know what came over me," she whispered.

"Don't apologize," Jasper answered.

"But…" He raised a hand to stop her.

"You were defending yourself. Don't apologize for that."

"But violence isn't right. I shouldn't have hit you." Bella shook her head.

"I wanted you to hit me. I was asking for it. You're right, violence isn't always the answer, but if it comes down to your life and Masen's then you can't be afraid to fight back. So if you have to hit, kick, or shoot Alec to do so then you can't be afraid to do it," he retorted, then softened his voice. "You know that I was just calling you weak just to get you upset. I don't think you're weak. I know you have it in you, darlin', to fight back and kick Alec's ass yourself. I just want you to believe in yourself, like we do."

"I understand." She nodded before stepping away and taking a deep breath.

"I'm glad. But Edward's right. You're not going to be fighting alone, we are all going to be here too." He smiled at her.

Her smile was smaller but she nodded.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up before Masen sees you and asks any questions." Alice came up and grabbed Jasper's hand to lead him away. "Great right hook by the way, Bella." She winked at her. Bella's smile said she wasn't as pleased with it.

After they disappeared I turned to her. "How's your hand?"

"It hurts," she admitted flexing her fingers.

"I'm not surprised with how hard you hit him." I chuckled. "Here let me see?" I reached out my hand to see hers. She held out her hand and bit her lip as I lightly examined it.

"I don't think you broke it. Probably just a sprain, some ice and pain killers will help." I kissed it gently.

"I'm proud of you too, Bella. Jasper is right. If you need to defend your life then you do whatever it takes. I know Charlie showed you how to shoot a gun, do you think you can remember how?"

She pulled her hand away from me and cradled it against her chest. "If I must," she answered with a frown.

"Good. I hope you won't ever have to, but I'm glad," I encouraged her. She met my eyes and gave a more genuine smile, but her eyes still looked nervous.

**A/N:**

**In case of confusion the start of the chapter was Edward's dream. So a little spurt of a lemon for those who have been wanting something. Also, Masen didn't see anything when he went to wake up his aunt and uncle. **

**Don't be too mad at Jasper for talking to Bella like that. He was purposely trying to push her to fight back. He means well. **

**Warning: Next chapter is going to hit the fan. **

**Thank You For Your Reviews!**

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**Preview:**

**Edward's door flew open making me jump, and Edward's arms tightened around my waist. Jasper flew into the room with a worried look. He glanced at me quickly, but made no comment about what we were doing, he turned Edward. **

"**The cameras just picked up two dark cars entering the driveway," he announced. "I've already called Jacob, but we've got to move. Alice is already heading for the panic room." My heart started thundering as panic set in. He found us. **


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH. 15 (BPOV)**

I couldn't sleep, I was tossing and turning in bed. It had been little over twenty-four hours since Jasper told us that Alec was his way back to Phoenix. Jasper got a call after supper and returned to the table with a grave expression. Alec figured out that not only that I was gone, but the security cameras had been messed with courteously of Irina, who was a double agent. She had been working for Alec the whole time. Agent Tanya Denali was dead and Agent Kate Garrett was in the hospital in critical condition not expected to make it. We lost all track of Alec and had no idea of his whereabouts. We could only assume he was headed our way.

Jasper and Edward tossed around the idea of contacting Emmett. But were hesitant to do so. They didn't want to give away his position now that the cat was out of the bag. They assumed he didn't contact us because he wasn't able to. I didn't want to think about the other reason why he didn't.

I finally slipped out of bed, and wandered downstairs to Alice's room. As I approached it was obvious that she and Jasper was still solidifying their reunion by making up for lost time.

I sighed and headed back up the stairs. I paused by Edward's door, debating whether or not to bother him. I knocked on his door.

"Come in."

I poked my head around the door.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" I asked shyly.

"No. At least I'm pretty I'm awake this time." He sat up in bed.

"What do you mean this time?" I stepped around the door. It looked like he pinched himself.

"Never mind me. Just a vivid dream I had the other night. What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't sleep. He's out there. I know it. He is coming for us, I just know it. We should move now. Some place he won't look," I answered.

"Come here, angel." He patted the seat next to him. I moved slowly and sat gingerly next to him. He reached slowly and took my hand in his.

"Everything will be okay. We could run, but we will be running forever or we can take him out now," Edward answered.

"Are you forgetting about his family? They will just come after us next," I pleaded.

"Then we will do anything we have to get you and Masen into witness protection," he explained.

"But what about the rest of you?" This idea didn't seem thought through to me.

"We are hoping that Jasper and Alice will be under their radar. If not, Jasper has a back-up plan." He left out himself.

"And you? You will be with Masen and me…right?" I chewed on my lip and started to pull away from him.

He held on to my hand. "Bella, I'm not sure if I'll be able to come with you. Especially if we aren't married."

I yanked my hand away. "You promised to stay. Why are you talking about leaving?" I accused standing up.

"I may not have a choice. I will keep the two of you safe. If that means away from me then I will do it." He looked frustrated.

"You're giving up once again." I started to walk away so he wouldn't see my tears. He grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"I'm not giving up. Dam it, Bella. I'm trying to protect you." He begged trying to turn me around but I resisted him.

"Did you think of what that would do to Masen? Only to have you a couple of days before you leave again? It will break his heart. He can't lose you like that. I can't lose you like that again," I admitted with a small sob.

"Angel, look at me, please," he pleaded. I turned to face him. He looked completely torn up himself. He brushed the tears from my eyes. "I don't want to lose either of you. I'm going to do everything I can to stay with the both of you. I am going to fight for the both of you. I wouldn't be leaving the two of you because I want to, but because it may be the only way to ensure both of your safeties. Please, understand that. I love the both you too much to lose you or to risk your lives. When the threat is gone, I will find the two of you again. Please, don't look at this as I'm giving up. I don't know what else to do." he pleaded honestly.

"We could leave. Now. We can leave and hide where he would never look. Buy a remote island somewhere and live on that," I suggested on a whim.

"Is that really the life you want for Masen?" Edward looked perplexed.

"If it means that you stay with us. Yes. I know I've kept you at arm's length, but it's only because I was afraid I was going to lose you again, so I was protecting myself. But it hasn't worked, because I can't hide that I still love you so much, despite everything that has happened." My admission rushed out before I could think twice about it.

His eyes lit up slightly and he leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips. My lips tingled with warmth and desire, and I started to kiss him back. I had missed his touch and my body craved to be with his. I had always felt protected in his embraced, and I just wanted to curl up in his arms and not leave.

The kiss remained gentle and loving. He didn't rush it but he seemed to savor it, like I was. My hands rested on his broad shoulders as his arms slipped around my waist. When he pulled back, he pecked my lips before I rested my head against his chest. He rested his head on top of mine.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to tell you," I whispered.

"I would wait forever for you, love." He kissed the top of my head.

_The snow was lightly falling on Christmas morning. I was feeling miserable. My mother cancelled on me last minute about coming to see her for Christmas. We were already in the car driving to the airport for my flight when she called and said she was going to the Bahama's instead. Charlie had to work, since he thought I wasn't going to be there, he gave some other guys the time off. On top of it all, Edward and I had our first fight, two days ago when we exchanged gifts. _

_We had discussed a price limit, so I was a little shocked when I opened what looked like a very expensive necklace. I felt horrible that I only had a DVD of a movie that he had enjoyed. We ended up arguing about it, and he left in a huff. Not how I wanted to remember our first Christmas. _

_I debated whether to call but decided I wanted to apologize in person. Taking a deep breath I left the house, and got into my old truck and headed for his house. Hopefully, I wasn't too late. About a mile from his house the truck broke down so I had to walk the rest of the way, which was more like two miles with how long their driveway was._

_With my teeth chattering I walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. After a moment, Esme opened the door. She looked at me in surprise and then behind me._

"_Dear girl, get inside before you freeze. Where is your truck?" she asked taking off her cardigan and draping over my shoulders. _

"_It broke down a few miles down the road. I walked the rest of the way," I answered pulling the sweater closer around me. _

"_Edward didn't tell us you were coming. You're welcome anytime, sweetheart, I just thought you would be at your mother's." She looked concerned. _

"_I was supposed to go, but she cancelled last minute. Edward didn't know. I'm sorry for intruding, but can I speak with him?" I asked._

"_Of course, and you're not intruding. I hope you stay for dinner, I will have more than plenty. Edward's in the living room. I'm going to make you some hot coca to warm you up. You look frozen thru."_

"_Thank you, Esme" I blushed before heading towards the living room. _

_I paused in the doorway when I spotted Edward and his father playing a game of chess. _

"_Carlisle, can you help me in the kitchen?" Esme yelled from the other room._

"_Coming, dear." He stood without taking his eyes off the board at first. He finally glanced my way and smiled._

"_Merry Christmas, Bella. I didn't know you were joining us today." He walked towards me. _

_Edward's head shot up in surprise. He started to smile, but it dropped quickly._

"_Merry Christmas, I didn't know myself." I gave him a smile back._

"_Well, we're glad to have you." He continued on to the kitchen._

"_Hi." I smiled sheepishly; I walked over and stood next to him on the couch._

"_Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to your mom's," he answered sounding reserved. _

"_She decided to go to the Bahamas instead." I shrugged and he scowled shaking his head. "Besides, I rather spend Christmas with you." I admitted, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Are you still mad at me?" I asked, biting my lip._

"_No," he answered. "In fact, I owe you an apology." He patted the seat next to him. I sat down next to him, but turned to face him._

"_You don't owe me an apology. I owe you one. I overreacted and acted like a toddler. You gave me a beautiful gift, and I shouldn't have acted like that," I apologized._

"_But I did change the rules. We had an agreement and I broke it. I understand why you got upset. I just spotted the necklace and I just wanted you to have it." He frowned and reached for my hand._

"_It was beautiful. I should've thanked you rather than made you feel bad about it. I just was feeling guilty I couldn't do more for you," I admitted._

"_I'm sorry I made you feel that way," he apologized. "Next time we make an agreement, I will hold to it. I'll accept your apology, if you accept mine?" I nodded in agreement and he leaned over to kiss me chastely.  
He pulled away and grabbed a blanket from behind him. "Damn, baby, you're freezing. What did you do, walk, here?" He wrapped it around me and pulled me on to his lap cuddling me against his warm body._

"_Only the last two miles or so, the truck broke down." I snuggled deeper into his arms._

"_I guess I need to warm you up then." He kissed me. _

_I pulled away when he tried to deepen it._

"_Your parents are just in the other room." I reminded him with a smile before we got carried away._

"_Right," he sighed, but looked very happy. "You know what? This is even a better Christmas present, spending Christmas with you." He kissed my nose._

"Are you sure about this, love. I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for." He pulled me back to the bed and sat then pulled me on to his lap.

"I was afraid to rush, too, but, the feeling of losing you again is too much to bear. I can't handle that either." I wrung my hands until he covered them with his own.

"Then we will go as slow as you need. I think you're already taking steps in the right direction with wanting to see someone for help. I will support you however I can. If you are agreeable maybe I can sit on some sessions or we find some for couples or even family sessions, whatever the both of you need." He nuzzled then kissed my cheek.

"You're really willing to work with me on this? There are days I'm just about ready to give up," I admitted.

"Then I won't let you. I get that you need to stand on your own two feet, but there is nothing wrong with me supporting you to do so. I'm not that scared 18yr old boy who bailed when he started to panic." He looked regretful.

"I know that you're not." I kissed him gently. We slowly deepened the kiss, but didn't take it any further.

Edward's door flew open making me jump, and Edward's arms tightened around my waist. Jasper flew into the room with a worried look. He glanced at me quickly, but made no comment about what we were doing, he turned to Edward.

"The cameras just picked up two dark cars entering the driveway," he announced. "I've already called Jacob, but we've got to move. Alice is already heading for the panic room."

My heart started thundering as panic set in. He found us.

"Love, you need to take a deep breath and remain calm," Edward spoke to me. "We need to get you and Masen to the panic room, now." His calm voice helped me stay calm.

"Right." I hurried through the bathroom and scooped up a sleeping Masen with his stuffed frog and Grover. I didn't want to wake him if I could help it. The panic room was sound proof, so I hoped he will sleep through it all. Edward met me in the hall. I was surprised to see a bullet proof vest but not to see the gun in his hand.

"Follow me." We moved quietly, but quickly down the steps. When we reached the living room he paused. He kissed the top of Masen's head and then me quickly. "Go, I'll come for you when it is safe."

"Edward, be careful, I love you," I whispered, a tear streamed down my cheek.

"I love you, too, angel. Now go, please," he ordered.  
I hurried away, grateful for once I wasn't clumsy. I hurried down the steps and toward the back where Alice stood in the doorway of the panic room. When I reached her I realized I forgot something in my haste. "Take Masen and close the door." I handed her Masen quickly.

"What?! Bella, where are you going? Get in here." Alice looked worried. She was small but she still managed to hold Masen without too much trouble.

"I need to grab his nebulizer. It's only in the kitchen where I left it. If he wakes up and has panic attack he is going to need it. I'll be right back." I ran across the room.

I reached the kitchen and grabbed it off the counter. I turned and found my way back blocked.

"Isabella, I found you." Alec stood in the doorway. He looked pale and unshaven and angrier than I have ever seen him. He had a gun in his right hand. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked crazed. I didn't answer him as I backed away.

"What? Nothing to say? Where's my son!" he hollered.

"He's not yours," I spoke up.

"I see that you think you can talk back to me. Did you forget what happens when you talk back to me?" I heard the click of the gun. "Take me to my son."

"He isn't yours. Edward is his father." I held my ground. I looked around for something to defend myself with.

"Is that the name of the guy I just killed? I thought his name was what was it…Austin?" Alec goaded.

"You're lying." My heart thudded unevenly. He couldn't possibly have killed Edward. But then where was he?

"Seems to me that you're the liar." Alec spotted the nebulizer in my hands and frowned momentarily. "Is he having an attack? What are you waiting for?"

"He isn't. I was grabbing it just in case?" His worry surprised me.  
"Why couldn't you just leave things as they were? This Edward abandoned you pregnant. I gave you a home. You and Masen could have had anything you wanted. I just needed you to be my wife and for him to be my son. That was all I needed, but that wasn't good enough for you. You had to keep trying to contact that loser, no matter how many times I had letters sent back to you. Do you think I wanted to ever hit you? You gave me no choice. Why couldn't you just obey me like my whore of a sister and pathetic mother did to my horrible excuse for a father?" he seethed, the gun raised and he pointed it towards me. "You are coming with me. Get Masen!" he screamed.

"No! You're never going near him again." I refused as I took a step back and hit the counter.

"Either you go get him or I kill you!" He shouted again. "But, first you will watch me kill him."

"You won't touch him. I thought you needed him for your little plan, isn't that why you targeted Bella here?" A voice spoke up from the porch door. Emmett stood there with arms across his chest glaring at Alec. He looked as though he had been through the worse end of a fight.

"How did you get free? Royce was supposed to be watching you." Alec flushed a little worried.

"Pretty boy? He may be rich and all, but he can't fight for shit. He couldn't even figure out how to turn the safety off on his gun either. He's pathetic. Getting away from him was a piece of cake. The only reason why you two got the jump on me was because you drugged me. Well, it wore off. Now you only succeeded in pissing me off even more." Emmett took a step forward, inching closer towards me.

"Come any closer, and I will shoot her. No one knows but me and Royce what she looks like. She can be replaced. Perhaps we will use Royce's wife. She's probably too fried from all the drugs he gives her to realize she never had a kid of her own," Alec taunted. Emmett's jawed tightened, and he took a step forward. "I swear, I'll shot her!" He shrieked. He looked around wildly and tugged at his hair.

"Where's Royce!" he demanded, the gun was shaking in his hand. Alec was clearly losing it.

"Put the gun down, and I'll tell you," Emmett answered back. Emmett was almost in front of me now.

"Tell me!"

What happened next, happened in slow motion. Alec squeezed the trigger and I closed my eyes and screamed. I was hit from the side and was knocked down by something heavy. I opened my eyes, and found Emmett half on top of me. There was blood seeping out of the back of his shirt. He had jumped in front of the bullet to protect me.

"Oh my god, Emmett." I shook his shoulder but he was out cold. I spotted a gun in his back waistband, and slowly slid it out.

Alec had his head in his hands, and he was muttering to himself. He wasn't paying attention to me. I took off the safety and raised the gun.

"Put the gun down, Alec. It's over," I spoke up.

He glanced and looked at the gun and started laughing manically.

"You. You're going to try and shoot me? You are too weak, you don't have it in you." He raised his gun again, but I beat him to it. I squeezed the trigger. My head hit the counter behind me, but I managed to shoot Alec in the shoulder and he dropped his gun as he screamed in pain clutching his arm.

"Police! Drop your weapons and freeze!" I heard someone yell, but I couldn't let go of the gun. Alec dropped on to his knees as the room was swarmed by more officers.

"Bells," someone knelt beside me. "Let go of the gun, honey. It's over. He can't hurt you anymore. Give me the gun before you do something you'll regret." Jacob begged me. With a shaky hand I handed it over.

**A/N: **

**I know, I know I'll update as soon as I can. Hopefully hubs will have a free moment to edit over the weekend so I can update Monday. No promises though, we have a lot going on this weekend.**

**So they reconciled, but then Alec had to go and interrupt it. Don't be too hard on her for her freak out. She has been through a lot, it's only human for her to have doubts.**

**I'm not sure how you are feeling about Emmett now. The guy did just save her life. **

**Questions will be answered soon.**

**Thank You For All Reviews.**

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"**Go on. She won't stop you." He encouraged me. "I'm going to check on Emmett and get us something from the cafeteria. Would you like anything?" I shook my head. He walked down the hall and disappeared around a corner.**

**I tentatively took a step back through the door. Esme glanced up but didn't say anything. Her eyes looked sad and exhausted. She watched as I slowly made my way to the bed on the opposite her. I sat on the edge of the seat and took Edward's hand in mine.**

**We sat in silence for a while until she finally spoke. **


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**CH. 16**

**BPOV**

Taking in a shaky breath, I glanced in front of me. Emmett was laying still and I wasn't sure if he was still alive or not.

"Emmett's been shot," I told Jacob with a shaky voice.

Jacob leaned forward and felt for a pulse and did a quick exam.

"We've got another man down. He needs medical attention. Gun wound to the upper torso. Looks like the bullet went straight through. Pulse is weak, " he called into his radio. "Suspect has been shot but still is conscious."

"Another man down? Jacob, where are Edward and Jasper?" I started to panic.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "Jasper is fine. But Edward sustained some injuries. He's waiting for medical transport too. He's unconscious from a blow to the head," Jacob informed me.

Tears started to run down my face as I tried to hold it together.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Jacob frowned as he tried to help me to my feet. "I'm not a doctor, but his pulse was good. And he was calling for you and Masen, that has to be a good sign." He gave me some hope.

"Have you been hurt?"

I shook my head. The back of my head hurt, but that was it.

"Where's Masen and Alice?" Jacob questioned gently.

"They are in the panic room. I forgot Masen's nebulizer. I thought I had time to get it. He didn't have an attack when I left though." I picked it up off the floor. "I need to check on him and Alice. She is probably worried and if he woke up and had a panic attack he might need this." I started to shake. Jacob moved me out of the way so the EMTs could get to Emmett.

"Here, I'll go check on them. Leah," he called over a female officer. "Go with Bella so she can change. She shouldn't be alone right now. She needs to change before her son sees her covered in blood." He ordered and she nodded.

I looked down to notice I was drenched in Emmett's blood. I handed Jacob the nebulizer and nodded. The last thing Masen needed was to see me covered in blood. Thankfully someone was thinking with a levelheaded. I surveyed the room. There was a lot of blood and I felt lightheaded.

"Don't let Masen see any of this. Leave out the basement door or have him close his eyes tight," I pleaded before heading to the laundry room, I felt as if I was walking through a cloud. "I think I have something in here." Leah entered with me and closed the door for privacy I pulled off the dirty clothes and tossed it the trash. I grabbed a pair lounge pants and one of Edward's shirts.

"Here," Leah handed me a wet washcloth that she got wet in the laundry sink. "You have some blood on your face and arms." I washed up the best I could by rubbing my skin hard.

"It was a great shot by the way. Did your father teach you how to disarm that way?" she asked.

"What?" I was caught off guard by her question. "Uh...yeah, he taught me."

"Good. Maybe now he will pay behind bars for what he has done." Leah nodded. I'm sure she meant well, but I was feeling anxious to get back to my loved ones.

"Did I get it all?" I asked since there wasn't any mirror in here to check. She scrutinized my face before nodding.

I wanted to hurry to Masen now. I need to see for myself that he was still okay. I desperately needed to see Edward too, but I knew I would have to wait until I knew Masen was okay. I had no idea what I was going to say to him about his daddy being hurt.

I stepped out of the room and spotted Jasper as he entered the room.

"Jasper, are you alright?" I asked rushing over.

He glanced me over and gave me a sad smile. "I'm fine. Are you alright? I heard he got past us and into the house." He was looking at all the blood with a grimace. Only one other officer was in the room taking pictures.

"I just bumped my head. But I would be dead if Emmett didn't save me," I answered.

"Emmett is here." Jasper looked around. "Where is he?"

"He took a bullet for me. The last I saw the EMTs were working on him. He was still alive at the point though." Jasper's face grew grim. "Alec found him and Royce drugged him at some point…I'm not sure how. When Alec came after me, Emmett said he got away from Royce.

What happened to Edward is he alright? Jacob said something about a blow to the head." Tears welled in my eyes again.

"One of Alec's men threw a good size rock at his head when his back was turned as he took out one Alec's men. I couldn't help in time because I was holding my own person off. Alec had brought five men with him. I shot the guy I was fighting in the knees. I knew Edward took one person out and I took out one other that attacked him. One ran and I found one by their cars, looked like he got the shit kicked out of him, he must have been Royce."

"So there is one loose still?"

"We apprehend a person running from the property. So far, he is singing like a canary." Leah answered.

"Leah, the one named Royce King. He's Alec's boyfriend, but he is also married to a friend of ours, Rosalie. Alec mentioned that Royce kept drugging her against her will," I informed her. I wasn't entirely sure how involved Rose was in all this, but it sounded like she needed help.

"We will get someone on that and check on her. But she's safe from him now," Leah answered while filling out some notes.

"How do you know?" I asked not feeling reassured.

"He's dead," Leah said simply. "Though none of you should worry about it; it will be ruled most likely as self-defense since it was clear you were under attack. The same with the men Jasper and Edward killed and the other two wounded."

"What about me shooting Alec?" I asked.

"You disarmed him," Leah answered. "You were within your rights. If you had killed him it still would have been self-defense." She reassured me. "You two are free to go, but we need to get your statements for the record, so come to the station ASAP. The sooner you do, the sooner they can be put away." I nodded and started to head for the rec room. Someone touched my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Sorry, it's just me." Jasper let go and gave me an apologetic look. "They aren't down there."

"What? Where are they?" I started feeling panicked again. Which seemed silly since Jasper was calm.

"They are in the rental car ready to go. Your son takes after his father. He's such a sound sleeper that he has slept through it all. I'm sure the headphones Alice bought helped." Jasper started to lead me out the back. "Put this on." He gave me a hooded sweatshirt that said Marines on it. I slipped it on and he reached out and covered my head.

"Just in case. Apparently not a lot of them know what you look like so we aren't going to give them a glimpse now. We are going to head to Alice's parents' house. They are still out of town so the house is empty. Jacob promised to have a police officer stationed outside the house tonight for our protection. We can't stay here."

"Okay. But what about the hospital, someone needs to go check on Edward and Emmett."

I looked around at the yard that was still full of police cars from Forks and Port Angeles. At least they have turned off their flashing lights by this point.

"I was going to stop in quickly and check in on them after I dropped you girls and Masen off and once security is in place," he answered leading the way to the car. I noticed he was still sweeping his eyes back and forth on guard.

"Can you drop me off at the hospital and then pick me up when they are settled?" I asked just before Jasper opened the back door.

"I don't think that is a good idea. If I don't keep you safe, Edward is going to kick my ass." Jasper seemed wary.

"Please, I need to see that he's okay with my own eyes. In a few hours Masen is going to be awake and I won't get another chance for a while. I still don't know what I'm going to say to Masen. I should be safe there. Won't the hospital security be on alert?"

Jasper groaned still not convinced. Alice rolled down her window and offered her advice.

"Let her, Jasper. She needs to do this. Once she knows Edward is going to be okay then she can relax and be in a better frame to tell Masen." She sided with me.

"Alright." Jasper conceded. "Just so you know, I had to call his parents. They are going to be on the next flight out here."

"Even more the reason I need to see him now. Once they are here, I doubt that they will let me see him. They probably blame me for all this." And they would be right. I thought silently.

"This is not your fault. Don't start to blame yourself for this." Jasper stopped my brooding. I nodded before slipping in the back. Masen was still snoring peacefully stretched out in the seat with the headphones over his ears. Jasper drove carefully to the hospital since Masen wasn't buckled.

Once we got to the hospital Jasper slowed to a stop.

"I'll be back in under an hour." He promised as I pulled the handle.

I nodded and stepped out of the car. Alice switched with me so that she was in the back with Masen.

**LB**

I approached the front desk in a brightly lit ER and waited until the receptionist looked up. She looked at me with tired eyes and not a bit friendly.

"May I help you?" she asked, sounding like she wanted to do the opposite.

"I was hoping you could tell me where I could find Edward Cullen. He was brought in a short bit ago."

"And you are?" she asked, not looking like she was about to help me at all.

"Bella Swan," I cleared my throat.

"Well, Bella, are you family?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, ma'am, but…"

She cut me off. "Then I can't help you."

"You don't understand…" I started to cry.

"Bella Swan, it's been a long time that I have seen you in my ER." Dr. Gerandy greeted me with a clipboard in his hand. He and Dr. Cullen often put me back together after minor incidents that brought me to the ER from my clumsiness. He was also the doctor that informed me that Charlie didn't make it.

"Hi, doctor," I greeted him politely.

"Are you here for Edward?" he asked kindly.

"She's not family." The receptionist spoke up before I could.

"Not yet, from what I hear. I talked Dr. Cullen a few minutes ago. He explained the situation, and that Bella here is Edward's fiancée and could make decisions on his care." I was a bit shocked by this information and that Carlisle would say that to anybody when it was untrue.

"I don't see a ring," The receptionist challenged as she stared at my left hand that was twisting the sleeve on the sweatshirt.

"I don't see how that is your business," Dr. Gerandy answered sounding annoyed.

The receptionist huffed then went back to her computer.

"This way, Bella, and I can show you to his room." Dr. Gerandy gestured with an outstretched arm.

"How is he, doctor?" I asked.

"He's in a coma right now."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

"He received a blow to the back of the head causing him to be unconscious. Right now there is some swelling," He started to explain.

"How serious is it? Are there any, what's the name for it…clots? When will the swelling go down? When will he wake up?" I started shooting off questions.

"Deep breath. He had a head CT. There are no hematomas present. We are going to be closely monitoring him in hopes the swelling in the brain goes down rather than increases. If it increases we may have to operate. When his swelling goes down, he should regain consciousness." He calmed me down.

"Can I see him?" I asked.

He nodded and waved someone over.

"Emmett McCarty was brought in too. He doesn't have any family. Can you tell me anything about him?"

He paused and took a deep breath.

"I can't give too many details. He is in surgery right now to repair some damage the bullet did. He's still in critical condition. Dr. Cullen has been listed as his emergency contact so he will be briefed more when he gets here."

"Thank you," I responded with a heavy heart. I felt horrible. If Emmett died it would be my fault.

"Hey, Bella, did you need a minute?" I looked up to see an old friend from high school.

"Angela? I didn't know you were here," I asked in surprise.

"Ben and I wanted to me near our families. We are going to be married next month." She smiled shyly.

"Congratulations." She blushed looking slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks. I'm so sorry about what happened. I can bring you to Edward." She suggested.

"Please," I followed her down the hallway to a room. She went in, but I paused in the doorway. There were so many machines that it overwhelming.

"It's not as bad as it looks. He's breathing on his own and his heart rate is good. His coma is the way to allow the body to heal." Angela smiled encouragingly.

"I'll still feel better when he is awake," I said truthfully as I stepped in the room and sat in the chair.

"It can be as early as tomorrow. However, swelling can increase over the next couple of days. We will take good care of him." She held out something towards me. "We took his personal affects off him. I thought you might want to hold on to this."

I looked into the envelope to see his dog tags. I pulled them out and slipped them on over my head. I kissed the tags before letting them hang.

"Can I get you anything?" Angela offered.

"No, but Jasper will be here soon. I need to get back before Masen wakes up. I don't know how I'm going to tell him his daddy is in the hospital." I reached for his hand then pulled back, unsure if it was okay to touch him.

"You can hold his hand. Just watch out for the wires. He might be able to hear you too. So go ahead and talk to him," Angela encouraged. "If you think Masen is up to it, a visit from him might cheer Edward up too."

"I don't know, he's only three." I hesitated.

Angela looked nervous about something she opened her mouth then shut it quickly.

"He's Edward's." I guessed what she was about to ask. Angela blushed to the roots of her hair.

"I never believed the rumors. I heard them, second or even I guess third hand while I was at college. When I visited home, you were gone and seemed everyone to believe in them. I didn't know how to find you, especially since Charlie was already gone. I'm sorry you lost him," she explained looking apologetic and I believed her. Angela never cared much for gossip while we were in school.

"Thank you." I gave her a small smile and then took Edward's hand in mine. It laid limp and I desperately wanted him to squeeze my hand back.

"Use the buzzer if you need anything." She left the room.

"So this is what it is like from this side of the bed. I'm not liking it too much," I mumbled.

_I woke up, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. "Where am I?" I moaned, my head was killing me._

"_You're at the hospital. Your dad is talking to mine. Would you like me to get them?" I turned my head to see Edward sitting in a chair next to the bed. It looked like he had run his hands through his hair several times. The relief was evident in his eyes. _

"_Why am I here?" I tried to sit up, but it made my head hurt worst. _

"_Rest, baby. You don't remember?" he asked. _

_I frowned as I tried to remember. _

"_I remember the blood lab in Bio. The smell of all that blood made me dizzy and then I'm not sure." I bit my lip. _

"_You passed out. It happened so quick, I tried to catch you before you hit the floor. In the process, I might have caused you to hit your head on the table behind us. I'm so sorry." He was beating himself up over it._

"_It's okay, it was an accident. I'm the one who passed out from a little blood." I reached for his hand. He took my hand and kissed it._

"_I was so worried that I really hurt you, especially when you wouldn't wake up. Please don't scare me like this ever again." _

"So now it's your turn. Wake up soon. You have a little boy who needs his daddy. I need you too. You promised not to leave, so fight this. Wake up. I love you so much." I kissed his forehead.

**LB**

It was early evening the next day when I was able to make it back to the hospital. The whole day had been long. Masen didn't take it well, to say the least, that Edward wasn't there when he woke up. He threw one of the biggest tantrums to date. Bless Alice and Jasper's hearts that they hung in there with me dealing with a screaming child. He calmed down slightly after Jasper got permission from Jacob to retrieve E.J. from the house. I gave him his father's dog tags to wear, minus the ring. Alice found some of her old scrapbooks that had pictures of Edward in them. Jasper told him stories about the trouble they used to get into when they were kids and actually got him giggling. He finally passed out after I was able to get some dinner into him.

Alice waved me off when I felt guilty of leaving him with her to go back. She promised that she would be fine and would call me if he woke up. Jasper drove me to the hospital and planned on checking in on Emmett while I checked in on Edward.

I approached the door to his room and stopped in the doorway. On either side of the bed were two people I didn't long to see, but I shouldn't have been surprised. They both looked up when I entered.

"Sorry," I mumbled and stepped back out fast.

"Bella, hold on," Carlisle called from behind me.

I stopped just outside the door with my back turned. When a hand touched my shoulder, I jumped out of my skin.

"I'm sorry," Carlisle apologized quickly. "I should've known better."

I nodded and hugged myself.

"You don't have to leave. You can go in and see him. We aren't going to stop you." He offered.

When I didn't respond, he sighed heavily.

"I owe you an apology, Bella. We should never have turned our backs on you," he apologized again. He seemed older and more tired from what I remembered, but he seemed sincere too.

"You didn't do anything," I answered.

Which was the truth. It was only Esme that confronted me. I never saw Carlisle before they left.

"Perhaps that is the problem. I should have stepped up and done something. I should've realized there was a good possibility that the baby could've been Edward's." He grimaced.

"How is he? I wanted to come earlier, but Masen didn't take a nap. He's taking this very hard. He only fell asleep a little bit ago," I asked changing the subject.

"The swelling is down. In fact, almost back to normal. It is reasonable to suspect he will wake up probably by sometime tomorrow." I let out a big breath.

"That's good." I nodded. "And Emmett?" The smile fell a little from Carlisle's face.

"His situation is still touch and go. The bullet punctured one of his lungs before exiting his body. They were able to repair it, but he's still on a ventilator to help him. He's in a medically induced coma to help his body to heal right now."

I nodded and glanced back at the door to Edward's room.

"Go on. She won't stop you." He encouraged me. "I'm going to check on Emmett and get us something from the cafeteria. Would you like anything?" I shook my head. He walked down the hall and disappeared around a corner.

I tentatively took a step back through the door. Esme glanced up but didn't say anything. Her eyes looked sad and exhausted. She watched as I slowly made my way to the bed on the opposite her. I sat on the edge of the seat and took Edward's hand in mine.

We sat in silence for a while until she finally spoke.

"There is nothing I can say that will be good enough to make up for what I said to you in the market or how I treated you. What I did was deplorable and you didn't deserve any of it," she started softly. "Perhaps as a mother you may understand where I was coming from, even if you can't forgive me. The day before Edward left, he came home looking completely heartbroken and he wouldn't talk about it. When you didn't show up to see him off, I suspected something was wrong. When I saw you in town, you looked depressed and sad too, and when I tried to approach you, you seemed to avoid me.

Then rumors started around town, and I didn't want to believe them. I went to your house and saw this boy getting into a car across the street. He saw me and approached me himself. He told me that I was wasting my time, that the baby was his, not Edward's. He proceeded to pull out an ultrasound and shoved it in my face." She paused.

I finally glanced at her feeling confused and upset.

"He told you that…How did he get an ultrasound? I didn't even meet him until after you guys left," my whisper was harsh.

"I don't have the answers to that, but your name was on it. I figured if he had one that it meant the rumors were true. I saw red, I thought my baby had been hurt and betrayed. I felt hurt and betrayed and when I ran into you, I unleashed it all on to you. I should have let you explain, but instead I felt I needed to protect and stand up for my son." Tears traveled down her face, she looked very distraught. "I am truly sorry. So very sorry, Bella."

"If I thought more rationally then perhaps we could have been there for you and the baby. Then you wouldn't have felt the need to turn to someone like him. We would've helped you with the baby while Edward was gone and neither of you would've gotten hurt."

"He never hurt Masen," I informed her.

"But he hurt you and that's not right either." She smiled sadly.

"You're wrong though." I met her eyes, she frowned in response.

"The more that I'm learning, I am realizing Alec targeted me for a while. He killed Charlie and he probably would've killed you and Carlisle too. I wrote to Edward and somehow he managed to get the letters returned to me with 'return to sender' from his base." I paused I was sure he found out that I was pregnant from Rose, but I wasn't how. Was it willingly or coerced.

"I do understand what's it's like to want to protect your child." How many times had I protected Masen, only to get the shit beaten out of me? But, yet, I would do it again and again.

I could also see that it was more than just the rumors. Alec pretty much waved it in her face that the rumor was true. I would've done the same as her if it had happened to Masen.

"But it still doesn't make what happen hurt any less. I won't stop you from being in Masen's life because I know Edward would want you to be. However, I can't say if I'll ever be able to forgive you completely, but I don't want there to be any animosity between us for Masen's sake. You're the only grandparents he has left and I want him to have a happy family, not one like I had with Renée."

"That is more than I could've hoped for." She looked down at my hand. She spotted the ring I placed back on my finger. "Does this mean you and Edward have worked things out?"

"I think we are working on it, but it is going to be a slow process. First, he needs to wake up." I reached forward to brush his hair back. "Please, wake up soon. You have a little boy who misses you, so much. He's not the only one." I squeezed his hand. I swear I felt him squeeze weakly back.

**A/N: So Edward did get hurt. He was attacked from behind. But he's going to be okay. Emmett's life is still in critical condition. Alec brought five men with him and was in the middle of the night that is how he got by them. **

**I know many of you want Bella to kill him, but he needs to be alive for the time being. You'll see why. **

**Now you know there was more to it than Esme just believing in the rumors. Alec handed her what she thought was proof. **

**To be clear Bella can understand why Esme did it without forgiven her. Sure she could be vindictive and keep Masen away out of spite, but that doesn't make things right either. **

**Thank You All For Your Reviews!**

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Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

"**Which one of you is my patient?" he teased. I was glad he didn't lecture that Masen was lying with me.**

"**My daddy is." Masen lifted his head and looked at the doctor warily. **

"**I see. Can you do me a favor and go sit with your mom for a minute so that I can check him out?" He asked with a smile. Masen nodded and slipped back to Bella.**

"**Daddy has a frog in his throat and he said an elephant sat on his head," Masen explained the other adults laughed lightly.**

"**Well, that's not good." Dr. Gerandy chuckled. "Let's check that out. What did you do to get all these animals to attack you?" He joked as he held up a pen light. I followed it with my eyes as directed.**

**(I figured you may need a smile)  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch. 17:**

**(EPOV)**

I heard people say your life flashes before your eyes when you have a near death experience, but to witness it first hand was something else. At some points I had a hard time distinguishing between flashback and what was happening around me.

"_A new girl started today. Her name is Bella Swan. She is the police chief's daughter," Alice announced, looking at me pointedly while leaning into Jasper._

"_What's that look for?" I raised an eyebrow._

"_I don't know. Just you're single and she's probably single. One plus one equals two," she hemmed and hawed. _

_I rolled my eyes. "Don't go playing matchmaker." _

_She huffed in disappointment. "Don't you bet against me, Edward. She's your one, I just know it." She turned away and started to talk to Rose._

So maybe she was right.

_She walked into Biology class and I felt as if the world turned on its axis. She was the prettiest girl that I had ever seen, she also appeared to be shy. I could tell right away she was different from all the other girls, that she was special._

_The teacher directed her towards where I was sitting. I moved my things over so she would have some space. She sat down and her brown eyes appeared nervous as they locked with my own._

"_Hi, I'm Edward Cullen." I held my hand out to her. She brushed her long, brown hair over her shoulder, before she extended her hand._

"_Bella Swan," Her blush darkened as she slipped her small hand into mine._

Someone spoke that I didn't recognize. "You can hold his hand. Just watch out for the wires. He might be able to hear you too. So go ahead and talked to him. If you think Masen is up to it, a visit from him might cheer Edward up too."

Was he okay? What about Bella? Please, tell me I didn't fail them. What happened to Alec? Please, tell me that he didn't touch them.  
"I don't know, he's only three," my angel's voice spoke up. She sounded tired and upset. I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't move.

"He's Edward's," I heard her snap. I could only suspect it was about Masen being my son.

Drift…

"_You want to go out on a date?" Bella paused. She pulled her lower lip in her mouth biting it and her brown eyes grew big._

"_Forget it, I don't know what I was thinking. I know you've said you don't date. Sorry." I started backing away as I spoke then turned to leave._

"_Edward," she called. _

_I looked over my shoulder. _

"_Yes." She smiled shyly, blushing._

"_Yes?" I questioned in case I didn't hear her right. I turned around and my backpack slipped down my back slightly._

"_Yes." She nodded. _

My angle spoke again. Pleading with me. "Wake up soon. You have a little boy who needs his daddy. I need you too. You promised not to leave, so fight this. Wake up. I love you so much."

'I'm trying!' I wanted to yell but couldn't. 'I love you, too. Tell Masen, I love him. I'm fighting.'

_I knocked on the door and it opened with a man in a police uniform staring at me. He looked me up and down with a frown. "May I help you?" he asked sternly._

"_Yes, sir, I'm here to pick Bella up," I replied nervously._

"_And you are?" he asked gruffly._

"_Edward Cullen, sir," I held out my hand. He shook it and I tried not wince when he squeezed it._

"_How long have you had your license, Edmund?" he asked._

"_Just over a year, sir. My record is clean, I promise," I stuttered slightly._

"_Dad, leave him alone," Bella appeared at the door. Looking beautiful in jeans and a pretty blue top. She was carrying a sweater with her._

"_Just wanted to get to know Edmund here." He shrugged unapologetically._

"_His name is Edward. You know that." She rolled her eyes before looking at me. She broke out into a smile. "Hi, Edward, are you ready to go?"_

"_I am. You look beautiful." I complimented her. She blushed and turned to her father._

"_Bye, Dad." She waved._

"_Fine. Drive safe. Take care of my daughter." He watched as we went to the car and I opened the door for her. _

"He's in here," I recognize the voice of my father.

"Oh, my baby," I heard my mother's voice close by.

"The doctor believes he is going to make it through just fine." My father was on my other side.

"Are they sure? Maybe we should get a specialist in here," my mother sounded like she was crying.

"He sustained a blow to the head. His scan showed signs of swelling, which would be normal for this injury. There are no clots and brain activity is good. They will check again soon. He's going to be okay." My father promised her patiently.

"What did the doctor say about Emmett?" my mother asked.

Emmett was here and injured?

"Emmett is worse off than Edward right now. He survived surgery, but is still being closely monitored. The bullet punctured his left lung. Another inch and it would've gotten his heart. He is in a medically induced coma and on a respirator." I felt some of my anger melt away hearing his life was in the balance.

"Is it true? Did he take that bullet for Bella?" Mom was crying.

"That is what I heard from Jasper. He said Bella told him that Emmett jumped in front of her when Alec tried to shoot her. He saved her life," dad answered.

Alec was that close to her. I felt an overwhelming gratitude to Emmett. How could I not, he saved her life, and probably Masen's since Masen was with her.

"_Are you sure about this, love. I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for." I pulled her back to the bed and sat, pulling her on to my lap. Her admission made me hopeful, but I didn't want to rush her because she felt scared._

"_I was afraid to rush too. But the feeling of losing you again is too much to bear. I can't handle that either." She looked nervous and was fidgeting. I covered her hands to calm her down. _

_I knew the feeling, it would break me to lose either of them. _

"_Then we will go as slow as you need. I think you're already taking steps in the right direction with wanting to see someone for help. I will support you however, I can. If you are agreeable, maybe I can sit in on some sessions or we find some for couples or even family sessions, whatever the both of you need." I suggested as I rubbed my nose against her cheek and then kissed a tear on her cheek tenderly. _

"_You're really willing to work with me on this? There are days I'm just about ready to give up." She seemed surprised at first that she was honest with me. _

"_Then I won't let you. I get you need to stand on your own two feet, but there is nothing wrong with me supporting you to do so. I'm not that scared 18yr old boy, who bailed when he started to panic," I vowed to her._

_Her reaction a few minutes ago alerted me that I could never make that mistake again. _

More time went by, I am not sure how much. As it went by I had fewer flashbacks and better sense of what was going on around me. I could hear the steady beep of a machine and my parents talking quietly. My mother was worried about seeing Bella again after everything. She was also worried she messed up so much she would never get a chance to meet her grandson.

I was aware that Bella was back in the room on one side of me and my mother on the other. My mother apologized and explained to Bella what had happened, mother to mother. I knew she was still hurting even though she told my mother she understood and wasn't going to keep Masen from her. She said it was what I wanted but I wanted her to do what she wanted. I would have to talk with her when I woke up.

I felt her touch my hand and she brushed my hair. "Please, wake up soon. You have a little boy who misses you, so much. He's not the only one." She squeezed my hand. I concentrated as hard as I could trying to squeeze her hand back. I heard her voice catch when she felt it.

"I think he just squeezed my hand," Bella sound excited. "Edward, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand again?"

It was easier this time when I squeezed her hand. I squeezed my other hand knowing my mother had been holding on to it.

"Oh, I felt something too. Edward, sweetheart, can you open your eyes," she pleaded with me.

"What's going on here?" I heard my father again.

"Carlisle, I think he might be waking up. He squeezed our hands," my mother sound excited.

"It could have just been a muscle spasm," he explained.

"It wasn't a muscle spasm. I know he meant to do it." I heard my angel insisted.

"Edward, squeeze Bella's hand if you can feel this?" my father asked. I felt nothing and was worried.

"What does that mean? Is he paralyzed?" My mother sounded frantic.

"No, he's just not responding to stimuli so it means he's still in a coma, but he might be starting to wake up. However, that can take hours, or days, still. It's not like on TV, or in the movies," he warned them.

I felt slightly relieved too. I was ready to wake up and hold Bella in my arms and hold Masen.

"Bella, maybe you should go get some sleep. You look dead on your feet, dear," my father suggested kindly.

"I'm fine." I could tell she was lying even though I couldn't see her. She sounded exhausted. I squeezed her hand. "He just squeezed my hand again. I want to be here when he wakes up," she insisted stubbornly.

"Bella, I understand you want to be here for him, but the best thing you can do for him, and Masen, is to get some rest. I'm not trying to get you to go to be mean," dad said as kindly as possible. "I promise if he shows more signs of waking up, I'll call you immediately, but you know that if he was awake that Edward would tell you the same thing we are."

"I know. Jasper is visiting Emmett. He was going to take me home in about an hour. You promise to call?" she sounded defeated.

"Of course, after all, as his fiancée, you should be alerted immediately," dad sounded amused.

My fiancée? How long have I been out?

"Thank you for that," she whispered shyly.

"It was the very least we could do," mom answered.

**LB**

I don't remember much after I drifted off. I thought I opened my eyes once or twice, but it could've been another dream.

"How is he?" my angel asked.

"He's better. He's out of the coma and is asleep. He should wake soon. He's been mumbling yours and Masen's names for about an hour now," dad informed her.

"Can I wake him?" Masen asked.

I felt so relieved hearing his little voice.

"No, sweetie, daddy needs his sleep," Bella softly explained to him.

"But I want him awake," he whined.

"He will soon. Masen do you know who this man is?" Bella distracted him.

He must have shook his head since I didn't hear anything.

"This is your daddy's daddy. He is your grandpa."

"Hi," Masen whispered shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Masen," dad greeted him warmly.

"Who is she?" Masen asked.

"That is your daddy's mommy. She would be your Grandma," Bella answered.

"Why are you crying? Is my daddy okay?" Masen sounded upset.

"Your daddy is going to be fine, honey. I'm crying because I'm happy to meet you," mom answered emotionally.

I tried to open my eyes and blinked in the dim light. It took me a moment before I focused in on Masen, who was holding Bella's hand by the door. He was clutching Grover in one hand. He spotted that I was awake first.

"Daddy," he squealed and broke free from Bella.  
She made a grab for him but he was too quick. "Masen," she froze momentarily when she saw I was awake.

"Daddy, you're awake. I missed you." He climbed up on the empty chair and tried for the bed.

Bella caught him before he succeed.

"Hold on, Masen, we need to be careful so we don't hurt daddy or the wires." She pulled him into her lap.

He pouted slightly.

I opened my mouth to say it was okay, but my throat was too dry. I ended up coughing.

"Here," mom held out a cup with a straw. The water felt good as it soothed my throat.

"Thank you," my voice was still rough. "I think I have a frog in my throat." I cleared it again. I turned and smiled at my son who was now looking at me wide-eyed.

"You ate a frog?" he looked at me in disbelief. "Let me see?" he leaned forward.

I opened my mouth and he tried to look in. My dog tags dangled from his neck.

"I don't see him." Masen's eyebrow furrowed.

"Daddy, was just joking," Bella explained softly.

Masen leaned back into her and grinned.

"How are you feeling, son?" my father asked, standing by the foot of the bed.

"Like an elephant sat on my head," I answered.

Masen giggled this time. While the others just looked slightly amused.

"Silly Daddy, elephants live in Aftrica and Asia. Not here." Masen laughter was the best medicine.

"You're very smart, Masen. You must have gotten that from your mom." Dad winked at him. He turned to me with a smirk. "I'll go tell the doctor you're awake so they can make sure that elephant didn't turn your brain into peanut butter." He snickered.

"Funny," I rolled my eyes and winced slightly.

When he left the room I turned my head to Bella. She was brushing a few tears from her eyes. She looked pale and still exhausted.

"Hey, beautiful, how are you?" I asked softly.

She gave me a watery smile.

"Better," she whispered. She wiped her eyes again with her left hand, and I noticed the promise ring on her hand.

"Can I get a hug, Masen?" I opened my arms to him.

He practically launched himself to me before Bella held him back.

"Masen, careful, daddy is still hurt," Bella reprimanded kindly.

"The only thing that hurts is my head. It will be okay, just careful not to touch any wires okay, little buddy."

He nodded and slowly made his way on the bed this time. I wrapped my arms around his small body and kissed the top of his head.

"I missed you, Daddy," he whispered.

"I missed you too." I closed my eyes briefly.  
"I got something for you." He held out his Grover. "Auntie Alice helped me making a Super Grover costume for him. He can stay with you and protect you." I grinned and took the small toy.

"Thank you." I kept one arm around him and reached out the other to Bella. She grasped it tightly and I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it.

"I love you," I whispered looking directly into her eyes.

"I love you, too." Her eyes filled with emotion.

I turned to my mom without letting go of my family.

"Sorry, Mom," I apologized.

She just smiled and nodded and she ruffled Masen's hair a bit.

"I'm just glad you are all okay and that…" she hesitated. "The proper person will be behind bars soon." She smiled. Alec wasn't in jail yet, what did that mean?

"What happened?" I asked.

"We can get into details later." Bella glanced at Masen.

I nodded in agreement.

Dr. Gerandy entered with my father at his heels. My mother got up so that Bella didn't have to.

"Which one of you is my patient?" he teased.

I was glad he didn't lecture that Masen was lying with me.

"My daddy is." Masen lifted his head and looked at the doctor warily.

"I see. Can you do me a favor and go sit with your mom for a minute so that I can check him out?" he asked with a smile.

Masen nodded and slipped back to Bella.

"Daddy has a frog in his throat and he said an elephant sat on his head," Masen explained and the other adults laughed lightly.

"Well, that's not good." Dr. Gerandy chuckled. "Let's check that out. What did you do to get all these animals to attack you?" he joked as he held up a pen light.

I followed it with my eyes as directed. "I'm not sure," I answered.

He went on to test my reflexes and even had Masen help him a bit. After a thorough examination he stood back and smiled.

"I'm sure you will have a headache for a while, so I'll get you some more meds for that. But everything else looks good. I think we should keep you one more night to be one the safe side, but I think there will be no problem with you going home tomorrow."

"That sounds great." I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't going to be released today, but I knew that it was far-fetched after being out for a couple of days.

"And something for being a very good boy." Dr. Gerandy pulled a red lollipop out from his coat.  
"Ahh… thanks." I felt like a kid suddenly.

"Not for you. For him." Dr. Gerandy held the treat out to Masen who was waiting quietly with Bella.

He looked at her first and she nodded. He took it carefully. "Tank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome. Take good care of your daddy, okay?" Masen nodded then put his thumb in his mouth, which was a new thing.

"Thank you, Garry." My father shook his hand before he left.

"Knock, knock," Jasper announced as he and Alice stood in the doorway.

"Hey, guys, come on in," I called. They entered hand in hand and came over to the bed.

"Hey, Rip Van Wrinkle, glad to see you finally woke up." Jasper smirked.

"Yeah, well, what can I say, I need my beauty rest." I smirked.

"Masen, your grandma and I were going to get some lunch. Would you like to come with us? I know the cafeteria has some great ice cream." My father suggested. I knew he was trying to distract him so we could talk. Masen looked at Bella who nodded encouragingly but he still looked nervous.

"I don't want to leave, daddy," he stated crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll be right here when you get back." I promised, but he still looked unsure. His thumb went back into his mouth.

"I love ice cream. May I come?" Alice offered to help get him out of the room for a short bit.

"Of course, Alice. We will love to have you." Mom smiled.

"You coming or do I get all the ice cream?" Alice looked at Masen.

"Do they have cherries?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, let's go find out. We can even bring back some for your mom and dad. How does that sound?" dad smiled.

"I would love some ice cream," I replied with a smile.

"Okay," he slid off Bella's lap and grabbed Alice's hand.

Once they left I turned to Bella.

"How are you really?" I asked her, and almost immediately the dam broke and she started to cry.

**A/N:**

**He's awake. He doesn't know many details yet, but will by next chapter. I did my best for the medical details, by using medical websites that seemed reputable. If the info is wrong I apologize. **

**Thank You For All Reviews**

**LB  
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**Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

**There was a quick knock and Jasper entered quickly.**

"**Sorry to bug you two, but I just heard from Peter and I thought you would like to hear the newest news," he apologized as he took the seat on other side of me.**

"**Did he find Rose?" Bella asked looking a bit anxious.**

"**No. She already left the place she was in. She didn't go home either." Jasper answered with apologetic look. Bella frowned and she looked very worried about her. She probably wouldn't rest until she knew that Rosalie was alright.**

"**I have news about Alec." Jasper looked at me then glanced at Bella cautiously. She stiffened and put down the spoon. She reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. **  
**  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Sorry for the late update. I live in area that got hit by a snowstorm and haven't had power since Wed. night. I still don't have power, but finally found a spot to get to update. Hopefully it loads okay, connection very slow.  
**

**Ch: 18**

**(EPOV)**

"Bella, love, please don't cry." I sat up to quickly and felt dizzy. I leaned back against the pillows and reached out for her. "Come here, please, angel."

She climbed carefully on the bed and I pulled her to me. She curled into my side and just cried. I ran my hand through her hair and whispered that she was safe.

"How's Emmett? I heard bits and pieces while I was out," I asked. I kissed the top of her head. I looked at Jasper, but it was Bella who answered me.

"He saved me by taking a bullet that was meant for me." Bella whispered so low I almost couldn't hear her. She was obviously shaken up by it still.

"Emmett's recovery is still up in the air. They were able to repair his lung, but he hasn't shown any improvement yet. However, he hasn't shown any decline either," Jasper answered.

"I didn't even know he was there. Did you see him?" I asked.

Jasper shook his head.

"Alec and Royce overpowered him and drugged him when they caught on they were being followed. Apparently they brought him with them or something…I'm not sure on that part. But Emmett said he easily overpowered Royce on his own and killed him. He then went after Alec. Alec had me cornered in the kitchen and Emmett distracted him. Alec was already upset that I wouldn't get Masen for him. He was acting like he was crazy or something. When he thought something happened to Royce he snapped and tried to shoot me. Emmett jumped in front of me trying to get me out of the way and he got shot," her voice was strained as the story came out.

"Tell him what you did," Jasper encouraged with a smile.

I looked at him questionably, but he nodded his head to her.

"I shot Alec," she answered after a moment. I was surprised, but very pleased.

"So he's dead." I hope I didn't sound too cheerful.

Bella shook her head.

"She got him in the shoulder and disarmed him just before Jacob got there and took over."

"Good for you, baby. I'm proud of you." I kissed her forehead.

She gave me a weak smile.  
"What happened after I blacked out? I felt something hit the back of my head then I don't remember anything after," I asked Jasper.

"I took care of the idiot that attacked you from behind. Out of the five that came with Alec, he and the one that ran are in police custody now. Alec is in a Seattle hospital; they wanted better security so he didn't try to get away." Jasper informed me.

"Good, but I have to ask; Bella, what were you doing in the kitchen? Why weren't you in the panic room?" I tried to ask without sounding like I was scolding her.

"I forgot Masen's nebulizer. I was paranoid he would have an attack if he got worked up and scared. I thought I had time." She turned red.

"I'm just glad you're safe." I kissed her head, I couldn't bring myself to lecture her about it being too risky. "How is Masen? Did he have an attack?" I saw him so I knew he was okay physically.

"He slept through the entire thing." Jasper smirked.

"That's good, right?" Maybe that will save him from being too traumatized.

"I guess. He was pretty upset when he woke up and you weren't there. He had such a tantrum that we wouldn't bring him to you that he ended up having an asthma attack. But thankfully, Alice and Jasper were angels and stuck through it with me to get him calmed down. Jasper even got him to laugh at stories about when you were kids." Bella sat up and smiled softly. Her eyes were red but she had stopped crying.

"Thank you. But I hope you didn't tell him anything I'm going to regret." I owed my longtime friend, so much for standing by me.

"Nothing too damaging. I was happy to help. You would've done the same, so you don't have to thank me." Jasper smiled. He glanced at Bella then back at me. "I think I will go check on Emmett again. Hopefully the lazy bum will wake up soon too," He tried to joke, but his smile became strained.

**LB**

The door closed behind him and I shifted so I could see Bella better. I brushed my hand against her soft cheek. She leaned into my hand and her eyes fluttered closed.

"I'm sorry about breaking down like that." She reopened her eyes and gazed up at me.

"Don't apologize, love. It's understandable, with everything." I kissed her forehead lightly. "I'm just thankful that both of you are unharmed. Hopefully, we can put this all behind us soon."

"I'm glad that you are going to be okay, too." She smiled, reaching up to stroke my hair; being careful of the bandage.

"I never noticed him sucking his thumb before," I mentioned.

"It's a new thing for me. I'm not sure but I think he does it to sooth himself." Bella frowned slightly. "Hopefully, when everything calms down, it will stop."

I grabbed her left hand and kissed it before I played with the ring. "So we are engaged?" I grinned. She blushed and pulled her hand from mine.

"Your parents did that so I could visit with you," she answered as she started to pull the ring off. My heart clutched in my chest. I placed my hand over hers stopping her.

"Leave it on. It belongs to you," I pleaded softly.

She paused before she nodded. She tilted her head up and kissed my cheek. I turned my head and my lips met hers. Our mouths moved slowly against each other, not rushing but rather taking our time. She rolled slightly, half covering me and my hard-on grazed her hip. My hand ghosted down and cupped her ass and pulled her to me. She moaned against my lips and my hips bucked slightly.

"Oh, sorry," a voice spoke up sounding embarrassed. Bella pulled away and nearly fell off the bed in her haste. Angela was standing in the doorway bright red, averting her eyes and holding a tray.

"I'm sorry. We got carried away." Bella turned pink too.

"I brought you you're lunch. We are hoping you would be hungry enough to eat." She placed the tray on a table and pulled it over.

"Thank you, Angela, sorry about that," I apologized, trying to cover myself with a blanket.

"You remember me. I'm glad that elephant didn't do too much damage." She teased. "Though seriously, those doors don't lock, so I would wait for any type of reunion until you leave. Plus the door window lets you see in but not out." She looked embarrassed to tell us.

"We understand, it won't happen again." Bella nodded still looking flustered. I was disappointed, but I understood too. At least it was Angela who came in and not Masen with my mom in tow. I don't think the hide and seek excuse would work again.

"I'll just unhook you from everything. If you need the restroom make sure someone helps you the first few trips. Your sense of balance may be off still, and we can't have you falling."

"I won't, I promised." She worked silently for a few minutes and soon I was unwired and tube free. She pulled the tray in front of me.

"Bella, do you need anything?" Angela asked sweetly.

"I'm fine," she responded. I sighed, because I could tell that she wasn't

"Okay, use the call button if you need anything." She smiled and left the room.

"Opps," I shrugged. "Come back." I patted next to me on the bed.

"I think it's best that I stay right here." Bella shifted in her seat. I tried to pout but she just laughed.

"Sorry, but you have nothing on your son." She laughed and shook her head.

"Would you feed me?" I tried for the sympathy route. She rolled her eyes this time but scooted her chair closer and picked up the spoon.

"This is the whole man flu again, isn't it?" she smirked as she spooned up some of the soup.

"Hey, I was really sick." I instantly defended myself.

_I laid on the couch bundled in blankets shivering and feeling as if I was going to die. My nose was running and my throat felt like it was on fire. My head was pounding and I could barely keep my eyes open. _

"_Edward?" My angel called from the doorway._

"_Don't come any closer, love. I don't want you to get sick." I turned my head to cough._

"_I made some chicken noodle soup. Are you hungry?" she asked sweetly._

"_Maybe, when I have more energy. Unless…" I trailed off. _

_She walked closer setting the soup down. _

"_Unless, what? Do I need to get your mom?" She bit her lower lip looking very worried.  
"Will you feed me?" I looked at her with puppy dog eyes. _

_She looked at me sadly and nodded her head._

"_Sure." She grabbed a chair and dragged it over. She opened the lid and I could see that it was still hot. I wish I could smell it. "Open up." I obeyed and it was too hot._

"_Hot," I whined then reached for my glass of water._

"_I'm sorry." Bella frowned. She blew on the next spoonful and brought it to my mouth. I took a tiny taste and pulled away. "Still too hot. My mom puts an ice cube in it."_

"_Okay." She used a spoon to get an ice cube out of my water and put it in the bowl._

"_I've been drinking out of the cup. That ice has been contaminated." She rolled her eyes._

"_This spoon has already been in your mouth so it has been contaminated too." Her smile was becoming forced. "Try this." She brought a new spoonful to my mouth._

_I swallowed it and smiled. "Better. But take the ice cube out. If you leave it in too long it will make the soup to cold." _

_Bella smiled through thin, tight lips, and took the ice cube out and left it on the lid. I ate about three more spoonfuls before I declared I was full. _

"_I'm still cold. Get you get me another blanket from my bed?" I asked pouting._

"_Sure." She stood up and grabbed the blanket from the foot of my bed. She spread it out on top of me and tucked it around me. _

"_Thank you," I mumbled. "Will you fluff my pillow?" _

_She nodded and I leaned forward as she fluffed it. _

"_How's that," she asked. _

_I leaned back then sat back up._

"_A little more." She started to fluff it. "Actually, I think I need a second pillow. Please?" She sighed but walked over to my bed and grabbed another pillow. She brought it over and started to fluff it. _

"_Actually, I think I rather lie down in bed so I can take a nap." I started to move. _

_I heard her sigh, but she didn't say anything. I stood up and I felt dizzy, I swayed slightly and Bella dropped the pillow to grab my elbow._

"_Are you okay? Do you need me to help you?" She looked concerned. _

"_I'll be okay. Don't stand to close. I don't want to hit you if I pass out." She eyed me nervously as I slowly made my way to bed and fell on it and crawled the rest of the way, until I was under the covers. She brought the pillows and arranged them again for me. _

"_Do you need anything else?" she asked._

"_Could you put a movie in for me?" I asked. _

_She nodded and headed over to my collection. _

"_What would like to watch?" she asked looking over her shoulder._

"_Lord of the Rings," I asked. She grabbed the DVD and put it in._

"_Anything else?" She asked. I shook my head so she started to pick up the soup. The light of the room was glaring on the screen and hurting my eyes._

"_Can you turn off the lights, please?" Bella put the stuff down again and nodded. She went over and turned off the lights just as my mother entered. _

"_Here is your orange juice, no pulp." She placed it next to me on the night stand._

"_I asked for that awhile ago," I whined. My mother rolled her eyes at me._

"_Young man, if you wanted it that bad you could've gone to the kitchen yourself and gotten it. You have a cold, you're not on your death bed. Good grief. I don't know who is the bigger drama queen, you or your father." She shook her head. _

"_A cold? He only has a cold," Bella looked at my mother in disbelief._

"On second thought, I can do it," I reached for the spoon.

She held on to it and just smiled. "I don't mind." She brought the spoon to my mouth and I swallowed a spoonful.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

She nodded but looked away. I knew she wasn't telling me the truth.

"What did you have?" I asked casually.

"Hmm," she responded.

"What did you have?" I repeated before taking another spoonful.

"I had some toast at breakfast. I wasn't very hungry," she answered.

I stilled the spoon in front of my mouth and pushed it towards her.

"Your turn," I insisted.

"I'm not hungry." She shook her head. "And you need to get your strength up."

"So do you. Please, baby, we can share. I'll even let you have my brownie." I smiled pleadingly.

She opened her mouth and took a spoonful.

**LB**

There was a quick knock and Jasper entered quickly.

"Sorry to bug you two, but I just heard from Peter and I thought you would like to hear the newest news," he apologized as he took the seat on other side of me.

"Did he find Rose?" Bella asked looking a bit anxious.

"No. She already left the place she was in. She didn't go home either," Jasper answered with an apologetic look.

Bella frowned and she looked very worried about her. She probably wouldn't rest until she knew that Rosalie was alright.

"I have news about Alec." Jasper looked at me then glanced at Bella cautiously.

She stiffened and put down the spoon. She reached for my hand and laced our fingers together.  
"It's actually good news. He's trying for a plea deal with the FBI." Jasper started.

"Are they really going to give him a deal? Didn't he kill and seriously injure one of their own?" I asked.

"Technically Irina killed Tanya and Kate killed Irina. Royce injured Kate," Jasper explained.

"But he shot Emmett," Bella stated.

"True, and if he makes a plea, that may affect his plea deal. But a plea deal doesn't mean he gets off completely. It seems that Alec hates Aro so much that he wants to bring him and his 'business' down any way he can." Jasper used air quotes on business. "He blames Aro for driving his sister and his mother mad. Turns out Tanya was hell bent on revenge because her father was also Alec's biological dad." Jasper went on to explain.

"So what does this mean for me and Masen? Are we still targets?" Bella asked.

Jasper smile was encouraging. "With Alec testifying and since he confessed what he has done to you and you have no knowledge of his real 'business', there will be little to no need for you to. Also, from what Peter could get from what Alec has said so far, no one knows what you or Masen looks like or that you both exist. Only Royce, Aro and Susplicia knew about you and Masen. Emmett killed Royce. Aro died last night of a long illness and Susplicia is off the grid herself. With the 'business' in so much upheaval no one is thinking about you or Masen. Even if they did get hold of Alec's paperwork it had false names on it, Gabriella 'Bella' Swine and Jason. Right now the paper work is in hands of FBI."

"He gave us false names? Why?" Bella looked shocked. Jasper shrugged but still smiled.

"I don't know for sure. My guess is to protect you from his and his father's enemies. And since 'Jason' was thought to be Alec's, no one is going to look for Edward Cullen either. Alec told the men that came with him that night that someone had stolen a shipment and gave no names."

"So no one is going to look for me and Masen?" Bella let out a sigh of relief as Jasper shook his head. I squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile.

"How did Peter get his hands on all this information? Can it be trusted?" I asked not ready to celebrate yet.

"Peter has formed a very close friend in the FBI. Her name is Charlotte and she's Kate's sister. They have been trading information back and forth. So close, in fact, we are going to be invited to their wedding." Jasper grinned.

"This is good. We can have a fresh start without any worries. So if you want to go back to U-Dub to finish your degree, you can," I suggested.

"I'm not sure if I want to live around here. Too many memories." Bella shook her head.

"Okay, where then? I am assuming Phoenix is out too." She nodded. I didn't want to suggest Chicago since I'm not too sure how much she trusted my parents yet.

"Well, my parents' do have the ranch in Texas. It is where I'm headed, they could use some help on the ranch. I did tell Masen I would teach him to ride if you said it was okay." Jasper suggested.

"What about Alice?" Bella frowned slightly.

"The ranch is only an hour outside of Houston. It's not New York, but it may satisfy her need to go to the city. She is already making plans to come with me. I'm sure there are colleges in the area," he answered. Bella tilted her head as she thought about it.

"We could visit and see what it is like before we make a decision," I suggested.

"That might be nice. I know I should have a plan since we have Masen to consider, I just don't know yet." Bella looked sheepish.

"Take all the time you need Bella. Masen is young enough that we don't have to worry about school yet. Maybe we can travel a bit as a family vacation. We could go to Disney. Or I could find that island if you still want one." Bella grinned and laughed a little.

"I don't think we need that island now."

Jasper looked confused but just shrugged and looked at the door as Alice entered.

"Hey, where are the others?" He asked as she placed an ice cream sundae in front of Bella.

"Esme and Carlisle went back to the hotel since neither has had a shower or some sleep since they arrived," Alice answered.

"Where's Masen?" Bella dropped my hand and stood up abruptly. Her eyes were filled with fear again.

"He came in here." Alice paled looked frantically around.

"No, he didn't." I sat up fast. I felt a wave of dizziness.

"I only stopped to talk to Angela for a second. We were two door down. He asked if he could bring you your ice cream." Alice was starting to panic now. She stepped back in the hall. "He couldn't of gone that far."

"Oh, god, what if Jasper is wrong. What if Alec has him?" Bella was hyperventilating.

"Alec is in high security prison as of an hour ago. Masen has to be around here somewhere." Jasper promised her. "Edward, get back in bed."

"Not until I find my son." I refused. I took a step and swayed again.

"Fuck, at least let me help you." Jasper grabbed my elbow.

"No… Edward, stay here in case he shows back up. Alice, go tell Angela he is missing then check the cafeteria in case he went back. Jasper, check the bathroom on this floor, he might have had to go. I bet he went to go find Emmett, I'll check there. He's been begging me to see him." Bella spoke up suddenly with a strong voice.

"But, I need to look for him too." I insisted.

"Edward, you can barely even stand upright. If he shows up back here it shouldn't be to an empty room." She reasoned.

"She's right, Edward. He couldn't have gone far." Jasper lightly pushed me back to the bed.

They left quickly and I was left alone in the room. I grabbed and held the super Grover in my hands. I listened to the intercoms as a Code Adam was called for a three year old boy with red hair and green eyes wearing a blue shirt with a frog on it.

**A/N:**

**Now before you panic about Masen's disappearing, I bet you can figure it out. **

**As Jasper mentioned about Alec is true. He doing anything he can to take down Aro's 'business' even that means signing a death warrant becoming an informant.**

**So to anyone who knew of Bella is dead or thinks of her as Gabriella. An interesting twist that can work to his advantage. **

**Up next someone that many of you have been waiting for…**

**Thank You For All Reviews.**

**LB  
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Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview:**

**A little boy was standing at the foot of the bed holding a bowl of slightly melted ice cream. It took only a glance to know who it was. I glanced around surprised to see him alone.**

"**I'm sad for my friend that got hurt. I want him to get better." I explained. He glanced at Emmett then back at me.**

"**You know my Uncle Em?" he asked.**

"**I do. From a long time ago." I answered nodding.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch 19:**

**(RPOV)**

The hospital hallway was quiet but busy as I crept down it. No one seemed to notice me as I quickly looked through the tiny windows of each room. In the room Edward was in, he was lying in a bed. Bella was on one side of him holding his hand. Their attention was on Jasper, who sat with his back to me. I ducked my head and quickly hurried by.

Down another wing, the rooms were darker and it seemed that these were the patients that were in more critical care.

Looking into the second room on the left, I saw him and I slipped in unnoticed, leaving the door open slightly. Most of the small room was taking up by machines. I glanced at them, wishing I knew what they are all were for, and if the readings were good. One machine seemed to be helping him breath.

I spotted a chair by his side, near his head, and sat in it tentatively.

"Hi, Emmett, I bet you're not too happy to have me here. The last words we said to each other were less then pleasant." A tear slipped down my cheek and I brushed it away.

"Can you hear me? I heard that sometimes people can hear in comas. I'm so sorry for the things I said that day. I wish I could take them all back. But I can't." I softly cried for a moment. "I wish I could've told you the truth then, but at the same time, I thought it would just cause more problems than helped."

_I arrived home surprised to see that my father was home early, and another expensive car that I recognized as a Rolls-Royce. Slightly intrigued I entered the house and went to the living room where I heard talking; my father was sitting across from a well-dressed man. The stranger was handsome in a way, with slicked back black hair and cold blue eyes. Something about him struck me that the guy was a slime ball. _

"_Here's my daughter now. Rosalie, I would like you to meet Royce King. He is the son of my boss. Royce, my daughter Rosalie." My father looked nervous and gave me a look as if to tell me to be on my best behavior. Royce stood up and gave me a smile that made my skin crawl._

"_You're even more beautiful than your father said. I'm charmed to meet you." He brought my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it._

_I forced a smile on my face, since I knew my father would be upset if I was rude to him. "Like wise, Mr. King," I said as sweetly as I could manage. I pulled my hand away, and subtly wiped it on my pants._

"_Please call me Royce." He smiled showing all his teeth. He reminded me of a used car salesman. _

_I nodded with a slight smile. "Royce. If you and my father could excuse me, I need to go make a phone call." I backed away._

"_Rose, I was hoping you would join us. Please, take a seat." My father nodded to the couch where Royce sat moments ago._

_I took the seat and waited. _

"_Rose, dear, Royce here has come to ask for your hand in marriage." My father smiled at me as if the was the best news he has ever heard. _

_My eyebrows raised in shock. I turned and plastered a fake smile on my face. "Well, I am afraid I will have to decline your surprising request. For a few reasons. First, we just met, and don't know each other. The second, I'm already seeing someone. But thank you for asking me." I glanced quickly at my father. _

_He frowned and shook his head at me. He can't be serious! He wanted to marry me off to a man that I've never met before today. "Rose, dear, you know how your mother and I feel about Emmett. He is not a suitable choice for you. Royce can take much better care of you then him." _

_I glared at my father about to tell him off. His own glare silenced me._

"_Jim, maybe you can give me a chance to talk with Rose. Perhaps, if we talk and get to know one another, she will see for herself how I can take good care of her." Royce nodded his head to my father._

_I was shocked when my father got up and left the room. I turned to Royce, who was still sitting on the couch with a smirk on his face that I wanted to wipe off. Or maybe I should have Emmett do it for me. _

"_Look, Royce, I'm not sure why you decided that you wanted to marry me without knowing me, but it's not going to happen in this lifetime," I stated firmly. _

_He ignored me and leaned forward, pouring us both a glass of wine. He pushed one towards me._

"_I'm only eighteen," I stated, not touching the glass. _

"_I wouldn't tell." His condescending smirk bothered me. He snickered. "You really should reconsider. It would be beneficial for all." He slid a folder over to me. _

_Curiosity got the better of me and I picked it up. I looked at the paper, and read them trying to understand them. "I'm not sure what this is?" I admitted, not looking up from the papers on my lap._

"_That is proof that your father has been stealing money from me and my family," he answered before taking a long sip. _

"_You're lying." I glared at him. _

_He calmly placed his glass down and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I went to his office to confront him. That is when I saw your picture and knew you would be perfect." His grin was sinister. "I decided that if you married me then I won't press charges against your father. Your family won't lose everything, leaving your mother and yourself destitute."_

"_That's despicable," I hissed. _

_He widen his eyes and raised his hands trying to look innocent. "I'm not the bad guy here, Rosalie. Your father is. I'm just offering an alternative way out that helps more people than hurts. But it is up to you, my dear." He shrugged smiling. "It wouldn't be all that bad. Just listen for a moment." _

_When I didn't respond he continued. "All I need is a pretty girl like you on my arm for the public to see. Parties and business dinners, etc. A trophy wife as you will. That's all. With a society that still doesn't support gay marriage, all I need you for is image. In other words, a beard, though an ugly term for it, since you are far too pretty for that. If I was straight you would be perfect," he explained. "I can even make it worth your while. Not only will your father keep his job, but you can seek to benefit as well. I will give you one million dollars for every year we are married. _

_In the meantime, you can spend my money as you wish. My wife will need to look good. It will only be about five, maybe ten years at the most, until my boyfriend's father leaves this world, since he is our main obstacle for us being together. Once he is gone, we will divorce, and you can leave, never to hear from me again." He sat back and smiled at me._

"_Emmett is not going to let me go that easily," I stated quietly. _

"_Then you must convince him too. It would be a shame if his grandmother gets kicked out of her house while he is overseas. I happen to know she is behind on her mortgage payments. Marry me and they disappear. Don't, she will be out on the streets by summer's end. I also think you should know that my boyfriend has connections inside the military, and it would be a shame if he was to have a fatal accident." I scowled at him, but he ignored me. "All you have to do is sign this. It's a contract for all that we discussed."_

"_Emmett will never agree to let me go," I repeated, looking at the contract blankly.  
"Then tell him, if you think he can keep his mouth shut. Then in a few years both of you will be all the richer. I don't care if you share the wealth with him. Or if he can't keep his mouth shut, find another way. Your choice, Rosalie, I'm not going to force your hand." But he still was in a way. I didn't feel like I had a choice._

_He pulled out a ring box, opened it and left it on the coffee table. "So what's it going to be? All of you friends and family will fall on hard times, or will you help them by marrying me?" He folded his hands on his lap._

"_I'll do it. I'll marry you," I agreed in a small voice. _

_His mouth broke out into a wide grin and he grabbed the ring. I felt him slide it on my finger, but I didn't even look at it. It felt like a ball and chain attached to my hand. He handed me my glass, and then clinked his against mine._

"_Cheers. Drink up, Rose. It's time for a celebration. You chose the best thing." He downed his wine, and I copied him, forcing a false smile on my face._

"I acted like a jealous fool afterwards. I knew you enough that you wouldn't be able to keep it quiet. I was so jealous that everyone else was getting their happy endings. I knew if I planted it in your head, what you would do if you thought they were going to get hurt. I should have left it alone. Perhaps, everyone wouldn't be in the shit that they are in now. This is all my fault too," I admitted as tears ran down my cheek.

"After finding out that Bella was pregnant and she received that 'return to sender' letter, I realized how big of a screw up I caused. I came home and Royce was there with Alec. I asked if he was serious I could spend his money however I wanted. I explained how I wanted to help Bella. Alec took an interest in her. They told me that they would give her the same deal as me. A million dollars for every year she was married to Alec. I thought she could use the money to take care of the baby. I had no idea how sordid Alec's background was. I figured it was two gay guys just needing beards for a while. I didn't know he would lie or he would manipulate her. I had no clue he would hit her. If I did, I would have spoken up sooner.

The night that Alec called freaked out that he hit her, was first night I almost overdosed because of the guilt. When I came around in the first rehab, they tried to convince me I was delusional. Royce had them well paid off to lie to me." I paused for a moment to take a deep breath.

It was unnerving that I was getting no response from him. I knew it wasn't possible giving his condition, but I never knew Emmett to ever be so quiet.

"I tried to get better; I swear, but it seemed every time I came close, I ended up slipping again. I knew I had to get better before I could help Bella, or I might be a danger to her and her little boy. I am so sorry about everything. I wish I could go back and change it all. I'm sorry that you're in that bed, when it should be me in that bed." I covered my face with my hands as I wept.

"Why are you crying?" a small voice spoke up.

I jumped slightly and removed my hands from my face.

A little boy was standing at the foot of the bed, holding a bowl of slightly melted ice cream. It took only a glance to know who he was. I glanced around surprised to see him alone.

"I'm sad for my friend that got hurt. I want him to get better." I explained.

He glanced at Emmett then back at me. "You know my Uncle Em?" he asked.

"I do. From a long time ago." I answered nodding.

He came closer and placed the ice cream on the small table. He grabbed Emmett's hand and seemed to be trying to curl his fingers.

"I don't think you should be doing that." I reached out a hand to stop him.

"I wanna give him a fist bump. I was upset when he left 'cause he did something bad and I didn't give him one." His lower lip trembled.

I gently took Emmett's hand and tried to curl his hand into a fist. Masen took his own hand and bumped against Emmett's.

"I hope you get better soon, Uncle Em. I miss you." Masen told him. "Wake up soon, 'kay. I wanna go fishing with you, like I did with Uncle Japer and Daddy. Oh, and you need to meet E.J., he's my frog." He turned to me with big green eyes. "When will he wake up?

"I don't know, sweetie. I'm not sure what is wrong with him." I shrugged. Tears slipped down my face and I wiped them away.

"He saved my mommy, and got shotted," he answered sadly, his eyes welled with some tears.

"I heard about that. Your Uncle Em was a very brave man." I gulped. I also knew he had killed Royce, and I was free of the bastard.

I heard over the speakers in the hall calling for a code Adam about a boy that fit Masen's description. Bella and Edward must be freaking out after everything that has happened. I knew I had to bring him to them. I guess I would have to face them sooner than later.

"Masen, do your parents now that you're visiting your Uncle Em?" I asked.

He gave me a sheepish, guilty look as he shook his head. "They said I couldn't see him yet. But I didn't want him to be lonely." He bit his lower lip. "Am I in trouble?"

"We better get you back to your parents, sweetie. I'm sure they are worried." I stood up just as the door flew open.

Bella was in the doorway with Jasper not far behind her. "Masen, you scared mommy," she cried as she fell to her knees, and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I sorry." The kid was red in the face now.

"You should never have disobeyed Auntie Alice like that." Bella pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Do you understand that when we couldn't find you, we thought something bad happened to you? I know you wanted to see Uncle Em, but you should've waited."

"I sorry." Masen repeated tearfully. "I thought Uncle Em might be lonely, and I found this girl crying,'cause she's Uncle Em's friend," he answered looking at his feet.

Bella looked up and behind him straight at me. "Rose?" she exclaimed. She stood up and went around Masen, heading directly for me.

I gave her a timid smile, fully prepared for her to start yelling at me. She shocked me when her arms wrapped me in a big hug. My arms loosely hugged her back. I looked behind her at Jasper, whose face was expressionless as he looked at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I'm so glad that you're alright." Bella pulled back and smiled at me.

"Bells, I'm going to take Masen back to Edward, so that he knows that he's okay, and that we have found him. Will you be okay here?" he asked looking at me but talking to her. He didn't trust me it seemed.

"I'll be fine. I'll catch up in a moment. Don't let him out your sight." She glanced at Masen.

"I won't. Come on, Masen." Jasper grabbed his hand with one of his and the ice cream with the other.

"I'm glad that you're here safe and sound." Bella smiled at me and killed me, since she shouldn't be smiling at me.

I stepped away from her. "You wouldn't say that if you knew everything I have done."

"From what I understand, you were just as much as a victim as me." Bella frowned sympathetically.

I shook my head. "Royce never hit me." I responded.

"No, but he did have a hand in making sure you stayed addicted to drugs and alcohol. Alec admitted it when taunting Emmett." This explained some things, but it was still no excuse.

"This is still all my fault." I pressed.

She eyed for a minute before taking a seat, and gestured for me to do the same. "How do you figure?"

I sat next to her and the whole story came tumbling out. She sat patiently, and didn't interrupt me.

When I finished she glanced over at Emmett. "Did you know that it was Emmett that returned the first letter?" she asked, looking back at me.

"No. Last I saw and talked to Emmett was the day I broke up with him," I answered quietly.

"He thought he was saving Edward from getting a 'Dear John,' letter, even though we had already broken up." She sighed and shook her head.

"That might be my fault. I placed the idea in his head out of my jealously." I admitted.

"He didn't have to listen to you though. He made the choice, thinking he was saving someone from being hurt. Edward didn't have to listen to him, and break up with me. In a fool's notion, where he thought he was protecting me. I didn't have to say yes to Alec. The thing is Rose, we all made our own choices that ended up being mistakes. None of us were trying to intentionally hurt anyone, with exception of Alec and Royce.

This is far from all your fault. From how you explained things, it sounded like you were coerced into it," she calmly explained to me.

I was amazed be her response. I thought for sure she would kick me out, and tell to me to stay the hell away from her and her family.

"Perhaps, but there had to be another way." I answered dejectedly.

"Maybe, but you will only drive yourself crazy, with the should'ves and could'ves. The best thing to do is move on, and get better. I'm starting to learn that myself. I'm getting the help that I need. And you can do the same. I'll be there for you, so will the others." She smiled confidently.

"The others. I don't think they will be as forgiven as you." I scoffed.

She seemed to pause briefly before she spoke. "We all made mistakes. You need a support system, like any of us, to come out of this."

I looked back over at Emmett hooked up to all the machines. "If he comes out of this, he's going to hate me. The things I said to him." I shook my head; tears welling.

"You at least owe him the truth though." Bella reached over and took my hand and gave it a small squeeze.

I nodded, because she was right.

She stood and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, I know some others that have been wondering about you." She pulled me to the door. I followed her to the door of Edward's room and lingered by the door.

"He fell asleep not long after Jasper brought him back. Everything okay?" Edward's eyes were only for Bella. He reached out for Bella's hand while his other arm was curled around Masen, who was cuddled on the bed next to him asleep.

Bella took her seat and laced her fingers with Edward's. I guess they were back together. Judging how Alice sat on Jasper's lap, them too.

"Everything is fine. I was talking with Rose." Bella gave me an encouraging smile.

I gave a timid one back.

Alice slid off of Jasper's lap and skipped up to me and gave me a hug. "I missed you, Rose. We are going to have to go shopping together soon. Lord knows, Bella still hates it." She stepped back and grabbed my hand pulling me into the room the rest of the way.

"Sure." I agreed still feeling uncomfortable.

Jasper gave me a silent nodded and smile. But then he never talked much to begin with.  
I glanced at Edward. He was the one I was most worried about, since I knew his temper rivaled my own, especially if I had put Bella in harm's way. He stared back at me at first with a hard look on his face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bella squeeze his hand. He broke his stare at me and looked at her. They seemed to silently communicate something to each other. Edward let a big sigh and turned back to me.

"How are you, Rose?" he asked cautiously.  
"Better than you, but honestly, not very good. I'm sorry that you got hurt. I'm sorry that my actions put everyone else in danger." I apologized and looked down at my feet. I was anxious and I wanted a drink, but I knew I had to fight it. I can't slip again.

There was silence for a moment.

"What's done is done. Let's just move forward, okay?" Edward offered.

I glanced back at him and noticed he was being sincere.  
"Okay," I agreed.

"I was about to go get everyone something to drink. Get I get you one, Rose?" Jasper stood.

"I quit, I don't drink anymore." I shook my head furtively.

He paused in mid-stride and gave me an apprehensive look. "I was talk about something like soda, water, coffee, or tea," he explained.

Of course, he was. The hospital probably doesn't have a liquor license. What the hell was I thinking?

"Right. A … uh… soda is fine. Cherry Coke if they have it. Bottle or can though, not fountain, please. And please, leave, it for me to open. I don't mean to be picky, but…"

Jasper raised a hand to stop me. "I understand," he said quietly.

I sighed in relief that I didn't have to explain that I was now paranoid of things being slipped into my drink.

He gave me a quick side hug. "Glad to have you back, Rose. Edward and I were saying not too long ago, we need you back to reign in Emmett."

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't think I'm going to be much help. I'm sure that he hates me for the things that I said to him." I swallowed and looked away.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, looking back at Jasper.

He sighed and gave me a grim smile. "He's not out of the woods yet, but he shows promise. He's in a medically induced coma, and they had to repair a lung. Hopefully, we will know more soon." Jasper explained.

"Emmett is a fighter. He will pull through." Edward gave me a nod with a small hopeful smile.

**A/N:**

**So there is Miss Rose's story. I'm sure it will be met with mixed reviews. **

**You also know that Masen only wandered off to find Emmett. How did he know how to find him? He noticed where the others went, when they said they were going to visit Emmett. **

**Check some great Christmas Stories: On Fanfiction by looking up Mistletoe Contest under author. **

**Thank You For All Reviews.**

**LB  
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**Preview Alert**

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**Preview:**

"**I have to get that," I apologized as lifted my hips slightly so I could get my phone out of my pocket. **

**Bella nodded and stayed on my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. **

"**Hello," I called before kissing her forehead. She smiled lazily without opening her eyes. **

"**He's awake," dad's jubilant voice told me. I sat up straighter and smiled**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Ch 20**

**EPOV**

I have been out of the hospital about a week. I still got headaches, but otherwise I felt back to normal. It was a warm day for Forks and we had set up an old sprinkler for Masen to run through. After a few minutes, I needed to sit down, even though he wasn't the least bit tired yet. Since I have been out, Masen has barely let me out of his sight. He was having nightmares and was even wetting the bed at night. The thumb sucking seemed to have stuck too. The therapist said it was a comfort method, and once he felt secure again it should disappear.

I looked at the seat next to me where Rose was sitting and watching Masen wistfully. She was paler and looked aged more than she actually was. I wasn't sure if that was from the stress or the drugs that she had been taking for so long.  
"How are you doing, Rose?" I asked. Things have been strained between us. She was never my favorite person, even in high school. She was a bitch, though she was a good friend to Bella most of the time. That is up until the end of senior year.

"I want a drink to tell you the truth." She grimaced, I frowned at her. "Don't worry I won't, I just wanted to be honest. Some days it's just harder than others." She looked down at her hands.

"Anything I can do to help?" I offered.

"Just make sure I don't slip." She was picking at her nails that she had worn down to the nubs.

"None of us will let you if we can help it." I promised.

"Edward?" she said my name cautiously. She looked nervous but determined.

"Mmmm." I answered looking back at Masen, who was kneeling on the grass looking at something too small for me to see.

"I never got a chance to say I'm sorry for everything." She gulped and looked at me out of the corner of her eyes. I heaved a big sigh.

To be honest, I was angry at first. Bella explained to me what Rose told her in private. I realized that Rose was no more to blame than any of us. In fact, much like Bella, she was a victim too.

"You're forgiven, Rose. Bella is right. Royce manipulated you. This situation was far from your fault." I answered.

"But because of my jealousy, you lost so much time with Masen. I can't get that time back for you." She looked out at Masen as he hopped along the grass like a frog.

"No, I lost time because of myself and Alec. It would be unfair to blame you. If you want to do something for us, get better and stronger, Rose. Don't let them bring you down." I turned to her and gave a genuine smile.

She gave me a watery one. "Has there been any word on Emmett?" she asked.

"They started to wean him yesterday off the medicine that is keeping him in the coma. Soon it will be all up to him. But if he wakes up, he still has a long recovery ahead of him." I shared with her the information my father told me this morning.

"He just has to make it." She closed her eyes and trembled slightly. She obviously still loved him.

"Emmett's a fighter. If there is a chance, he will make it." I answered.

The door behind us opened and Bella stepped out onto the patio. She had returned from a therapy session and looked tired. She held a white envelope in her hand. She looked out in the yard and smiled when she saw Masen.

"Hi, Mommy." He waved and side-jumped through the sprinkler.

"Hi, sweetie. Just a few more minutes, okay?" she called back.

She headed over to me, pecked me on the lips then sat on my lap. "Oh, you're wet." She went to jump up but I held her to me.

"How did it go, angel?" I nuzzled her hair.

"Good. Jacob asked me to stop by the station. He had this for me." She held up the letter.

"Who's it from?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's in Alec's handwriting, but I haven't opened it yet. I have something else I need to tell you." She bit her lip. I placed my finger gently by her mouth and pulled it out.

"Okay," I wanted to tell her to just throw the letter out but I'm not sure it would be that easy.

"Rose, would you mind distracting Masen for a little bit? Jasper and Alice are trying to put groceries away," Bella asked.  
Rose's eyes widened in surprise. "Sure."

"Masen, time to go in." Bella called. He ran over, and Bella wrapped the towel around him. "Auntie Rose is going to help you get changed, and then maybe you can play a game together."

"Okay." He took Rose's hand and he pulled her into the house.

Once the door was closed Bella turned to me.

"Alec is gone," she muttered.

"What he got away? Are you kidding me? Why are you so calm?" I blurted out. How did that fucker get out? He was supposed to be in a high security prison.

Bella flinched and then shook her head. "No. I guess I didn't say that right. He took his own life. He's dead."

I still wasn't pleased; the fucker deserved to suffer for what he did to my Bella and Masen. Not to mention he killed Charlie and almost Emmett. The fucker got off too easy if you ask me.

Bella was watching me with uneasy expression. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously.

"I just think he got off too easy. What's that?" I pointed to the letter.

"I'm not sure. I didn't want to read it alone." She eyed me looking like she had made a mistake.

"Angel, maybe you should toss it out. He's dead, so why bother." I suggested trying to take the letter from her.

"I thought about it, but at the same time, I'm just a little curious as to what it says." She looked down at the letter in her lap.

"Fine, but if he wrote just to say shit that isn't true, and you start to get upset, I'm tearing it up." I informed her. She gave me a tiny smile and kissed my cheek.

"Kind of why I wanted you to read it with me," her voice was soft, but still determined.

"Let's get this over with." I nodded and she slid open the letter.

_Dear Gabriella,_

_I'm not sure if you would read this, but I had to try. You may not believe me, but I am terribly sorry for all the harm I've caused you and Jason. When this originally started, I had no bad intentions towards either of you. I figured if you helped me then I could help you. _

_The day I first hit you was my lowest point ever. I never had been violent before, and it made me sick that I struck you. Even worse, it made me feel empowered that I could control someone. _

_That day was easily the start of my downward spiral. The man who raised me to take his place was a horrible man. I witnessed how he treated my mother like crap and fucked with my sister until she lost her mind. That is why I kept you and my son from meeting him. I told myself even though I needed you, I had to keep you safe from him._

_When I found out he killed my real father and couldn't accept that I loved a man opposed to a woman; I wanted revenge. I like to think that he was worse than me, that is why I swore I would destroy his empire, but instead I only destroyed myself. _

_I'm sorry, Gabriella, that I caused you such pain. I hope that you can find the happiness that you deserve. I won't ask for your forgiveness, since I don't deserve it. I lost everything I love in this world as I should have. _

_This will be the last time that you will hear from me. To give you peace of mind no one will be able to find out about your true identity. The only ones that knew the truth was myself and Royce. Even Aro didn't know the whole truth. I kept no records of your true identity for anyone to find. You and Jason are safe from my family and my enemies, that's the best that I could do to protect you. _

_Sincerely,_

_Alec Volturi._

Bella let the letter fall to her lap then wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my neck. I felt her hot tears against my neck. I rubbed her back soothingly and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, the letter was better than I expected." I pushed her back slightly so I could see her face clearly. I wiped the tears off her cheek with fingers.

She nodded and sniffed. "You know I actually feel slightly sorry for him." Bella sniffled.

I looked at her incredulously. "You've got to be kidding?" I scoffed.

"I'm not excusing what he did or even forgiving him, I don't think I'll ever forgive him; but he was so messed up. If you had seen him in the kitchen that day, it was as if he had snapped. I honestly think he went crazy with his need of revenge and wanting to be himself," she explained.

I just shook my head, maybe he did go crazy, but the fucker still had abused and used her, which is unforgivable in my book. But at least he did give her some sort of protection in the end. We won't have to constantly look over our shoulders.  
I leaned down and kissed her lips lightly. She shifted in my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. We kissed again, she took control of the kiss and licked my lower lip. My lips parted and her tongue slipped into my mouth entwining with my own.

We haven't gone further than kissing and light touches. She needed us to go slow and I understood that. It was still progress in our relationship.

We were sharing the same bed since I got out of the hospital. Each night I fell asleep with her in my arm, to wake up in the morning with her still cuddled into me. We couldn't do much more anyways, since Masen slept in a cot in our room. A few mornings I had woken up with him asleep on top of me. It was the best feeling in the world.

My father's ring tone went off causing me to pull back from her.

"I have to get that," I apologized as I lifted my hips so I could get my phone out of my pocket.

Bella nodded and stayed on my lap. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hello," I called before kissing her forehead. She smiled lazily without opening her eyes.

"He's awake," dad's jubilant voice told me.

I sat up straighter and smiled. "That's great news." I replied.

Bella opened one eye and looked at me. I mouthed 'Emmett's awake' to her. She smiled and slipped off my lap then went into the house while dad gave me more details.

"He's been asking about you all. Can you guys come down and visit it him? He even asked for Rose." he asked.

"Yeah, of course, we will be right down." We said our good-byes and I headed into the house. Jasper and Alice were in the kitchen with everyone else. They looked up when I entered.

"Bella said that Emmett's awake," Jasper asked looking for confirmation.

"He's is. He will be in the hospital for a while more though. He's breathing, but still needs a little help while he gets stronger. He's been asking about us. Anyone want to go visit him?" I looked at all the smiling and relieved faces around me.

"Me! Me!" Masen started hopping up and down in a circle. "I want to see him, please! Can I, pleeeeaaaasssse!" Masen asked excitedly. Bella made a grab for him and stopped his jumping.

"Yes, but you need to calm down. No jumping or running off, you need to be on your best behavior," she told him.

"Yay, I'll be good. I promise." He made a beeline for the door.

"Use the restroom first." Bella shook her head in amusement, watching him do a U-turn and run into the bathroom.

We all moved around starting to get ready. With the exception of Rose who was sitting quietly on a stool staring at the countertop.

"Rose, aren't you coming?" I asked.

We had all took turns visiting, at least once a day, but she hadn't been back since the first day.

She looked up looking very uneasy. "I don't think he would want me there. I think it's best that I stay here, so I don't upset him." She gave me a half-hearted smile. "I'm just glad he's awake."

"My father said he was asking for you," I told her.

Her eyes widen and she shifted nervously. "How did he know I was here?" she gulped before she whispered.

"I know that I could hear people, here and there, while I was in my coma, perhaps he heard you." I shrugged.

She paled and nodded. "Then I guess it better to get it over with sooner than later right?" I nodded, I still wasn't used to seeing Rose so unconfident. In high school, nothing seemed to phase her.

"I'll be right back, I should change into something dry. It will work out, Rose." I headed out of the room to get dressed quickly.

**LB**

I carried Masen in my arms into Emmett's room, to avoid him jumping on Emmett the second he saw him. As it was, he was already wiggling, like a puppy to get down. I held Bella's hand with my other hand.

Masen held a big balloon that he got for Emmett, in the gift shop, that said Get Well Soon with the Sesame Street gang on it.

The others followed behind us with Rose bringing up the rear.

Emmett was sitting up in bed. Looking tired, but alert. He was still attached to some monitors, but not as many as before. He still had something to help him breath, but nothing covered his mouth.

"Glad to see that you've decided to come out of hibernation." I greeted him. He grinned when he realized I was joking.

"Daddy, bears hibernate. Not people." Masen pulled at the collar of my shirt.

"Well, your Uncle Emmett is part bear." Jasper snickered. He entered the room with Alice in tow.

Emmett laughed weakly and then coughed and wheezed.

"Really?" Masen's eyes went large.

"No, they are just teasing the both of you." Bella shook her head.

"Can I give Uncle Em his balloon?" Masen tried to get down from my arms.

"Remember what we've talked about. No jumping or climbing on the bed, okay?" Bella reminded him.

He nodded quickly, and I set him on his feet.

He started to skip then slowly walked to the bed. "Uncle Em, this is for you?" He held out the balloon.

Emmett reached for it with a smile. "Thank you," he grinned, when he saw Masen's hand out in a small fist. He gave him a small fist bump making Masen smile.

"Uncle Em, I missed you. Guess what, I named me frog EJ for you and Uncle Japer. And I fished. Mommy is better at it than Daddy. She taught me so I'm no longer a virgin, just like Auntie Alice," he announced.

Emmett blinked a few times before, he started laughing. Which only seemed to hurt him. Alice groaned from behind us, and I heard Jasper laughing too.

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry." Bella mumbled from beside me.

When Emmett calmed down he glanced at us. "How long have I been out?" his voice rasped.

"Too long." Bella stepped away from me and went over to a small table. She poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. He took a small sip before placing it on the table that she pulled closer to him. She said something quietly to him and he nodded. She leaned over and gave him a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. He said something that made her smile.  
She came back over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Thank you." I hugged her back, but looked over her head at him.

He nodded his head. "It was the least I could do." He shrugged.

I stepped away from Bella a moment and gave him a one armed hug. "I'm sorry for the things I said that day you left. What you may have done was messed up, but I forgive you. Friends?" I offered him a fist bump.

He nodded looking a bit emotional. "Of course." He smiled and relaxed some.

Jasper and Alice stepped forwards and gave him hugs too. We caught him up briefly, promising more, when he was up to it, and when Masen wasn't present.

"Rosie, are you going to come say hi?" Emmett looked past us to Rose.

She was standing barely inside the door, looking ready to run at any moment. I was surprised that he called her Rosie. He hasn't called her that a very long time, he usually referred to her as 'bitch'.

"Hi, I'm glad you're better." She smiled weakly.

Emmett frowned as he studied her. "Come here, Rosie." He beckoned her with his hand. She eyed him looking bewildered. He sighed and put his hand down.

"I could hear what you said. I know this isn't the first time you've been here. I think we have a lot to talk about, don't you?" he encouraged.

"You heard me?" she squeaked, paling.

Emmett nodded patiently. "You could've told me then. Rather than lied," he stated calmly.

"You would've ki…" she glanced at Masen who looking at them curiously. "You would've been angry."

"True, and I believe that I did." Emmett nodded, his eyes narrowed a bit. He reached over and ruffled Masen's hair.

Masen shook his head, pulling it away as he scowled.

Emmett smirked. "Hey, you got your daddy ice cream when he was in here. Any chance I can get some?" he asked Masen.

"Okay?" Masen nodded eager to please. He started for the door and turned back. "I need an adult to go with me." He remembered looking at the rest of us.

"I think we will all go, so Rose and Emmett can talk." Bella agreed looking at me.

"Oh, Uncle Em, when you feel better, will you play hide and seek with me? I learned after I saw Uncle Japer playing with Auntie Alice. He was hiding in her bed." Masen asked innocently.

Alice groaned again and Jasper looked a bit sheepish. They were never going to live this one down, especially now that Emmett knew.

Emmett's face twisted in amusement as he shook his head. "I see the running for favorite uncle is still open." He smirked.

Jasper gave him a dirty look.

"We will give you two some time." I grabbed Masen's hand before heading out.

**LB**

We arrived back to the room a half-hour later. I poked my head in first, Rose was sitting by the bed. She had been crying but they seemed to be holding hands.

"Alright, if we come back in?" I asked.

Emmett looked up and nodded. Masen entered right behind me, and brought over the small bowl of ice cream. He placed it on the table and looked at Rose.

"You're crying again." He commented, looking up at her.

"I am. But I'm all better now." Rose managed a small smile for him.

"Can I sit with you?" he asked. She nodded and scooped him up on to her lap. He gave her a hug, she looked startled before she hugged him back. He settled in her lap.

"Is it good?" he asked Emmett.

"The best. Thank you." Emmett smiled at him. "So how many fish did you catch? I've never been so you're going have to teach me."

"I caughted lots. It was fun, 'cept when I knocked mommy and daddy into the water." Masen explained.

"You got them both?" Emmett smirked. "You take after your mom then."

"Funny," Bella rolled her eyes leaning into me.

"So where to next. Are you guys staying around here, Chicago, or what?" he asked.

"We know we aren't staying around here. We might visit Chicago but we won't stay." I squeezed Bella to my side. That was a conversation that was awkward with my parents…well mostly my mom.

_Bella and Masen had left for the day. I would see them again tomorrow, when I got out of here. My parents entered looking more refreshed. _

"_How are you feeling, sweetheart." My mother came over and kissed my forehead._

"_Better and ready to get out of here." I admitted. She took the seat next to me. _

"_Well we can see if we can get the room next to ours for when you are released. We aren't staying at the house. The kitchen needs a good cleaning, even then I'm not sure if I could be comfortable there again._

_Then once you're ready, we will fly you guys out to Chicago, and you'll stay with us until you find your own place. But you're welcome to stay." My mother explained things that she had decided without my or Bella's input._

"_Hold on. When I get out of here, I'm staying with my family. Right now, they're comfortable at Alice's, so I'm going there."_

"_That's fine, dear. Of course, you should be with them." My mother nodded, still not understanding._

"_Mom, we aren't going to Chicago. Maybe one day to visit, but not to live," I stated calmly. _

_Her face dropped, and she looked confused. "Why not? Where will you go? We're family. Family supports one another." Mom insisted._

"_They also don't turn their backs on one another." _

_She looked contrite. She sighed heavily. "I know I've messed up. I'm trying to make up for it." She lowered her head in shame._

"_The evidence was convincing. I did some looking into it, it turns out he paid off a lab tech. for the picture. The tech. has since then been fired and may be looking at criminal charges," dad spoke up. At least that was one question answered._

"_Granted the evidence he gave you was damming, but you knew Bella. I can't understand how you could think something so low of her." I shook my head. "She's willing to let Masen be part of your lives, thinking that's what I would want; but she isn't comfortable around mom. I think that's more than understandable; I'm not going to ask for more, by having us live with you." I told them firmly. _

_My mother looked upset, but dad nodded in understanding._

"_Where will you guys go?" he asked. _

"_Not sure yet. We need to talk about it more. I know Bella would like to go back to college. I wanted to support that. She also doesn't want to stay around here, and I don't blame her. Jasper mentioned going to his parent's ranch. We may do that. Whatever we do, we will decide together." I answered._

"We might take a cross-country trip. It's maybe a good time for one, since Masen will be in school in a couple of years. We can go to places like Disney," Bella said softly.

"I can meet Mickey?" Masen eyes lit up. "Can I meet Grover too?" He started to get all excited and bounced in Rose's lap.

"I don't think he will be at Disney," I explained and hated the disappointment in his eyes.

"If you're doing a road trip, there is a place in Pennsylvania that has Sesame Street characters." Alice spoke up. "There's also a lot of historical places too."

"Are you going to come?" Masen asked them.

Jasper and Alice exchanged a look.

"The more the merrier. I think we all need a vacation," I stated so they didn't think they were intruding.

"We're going to have to rent an RV probably. So all seven of us can fit." Jasper mentioned seemingly on board.

"Seven?" Emmett questioned. He looked at me, but didn't seem sure we were including him.

"How can we go to Disney, and not bring one of their biggest fans." I smirked at him. "That meant you too, Rose."

She looked up in surprise. She looked down at Masen then over at Emmett.

"I'll fund it. I have more money than I could ever want," Rose announced.

"You don't have to do that," Bella told her.

"I insist. It's the least I could do." She waved her had dismissively.

**A/N: **

**Emmett is awake. He did overhear what Rose said to him. So I wasn't going to rehash it. **

**A reader mentioned last time she wondered why Bella didn't visit Emmett in the hospital. Since she wondered, I'm assuming others did too. I didn't mean for it to come across that way. Since the last few chapters had been in others povs, I can see how it appeared that way. Therefore, I have written a short outtake of her first visit. That should be posted next. I'm not going to do a preview because of how short it is. I'm going to hopefully get the outtake up on Monday and then next Friday will be the epilogue. **

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	22. Outtake

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Outtake:**

**BPOV (Mid-Ch. 17 after Bella visited Edward before he was awake)**

I left Edward's room quietly after Carlisle insisted that I needed to get some sleep. Although I knew he was right, it was still very hard to pull myself from Edward's side.

I turned the corner to where they kept the more critical patients.

The officer by his door nodded to me, knowing that I had clearance, before he stepped aside. There were officers both at Edward's and Emmett's doors until it could be determined if Alec's family was a threat.

I sucked in a sharp breath seeing Emmett look so helpless in his bed. There were more tubes and wires than in Edward's room.

The room was also darker and Jasper sat quietly by Emmett's side. He looked up when I entered. "Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly.

"In a minute. I'll like a minute with Emmett first. As long as that's okay." I fidgeted with the curtain by the door.

Jasper stood and stretched. "Not a problem. Would you like me to stay in here or step out?"

I took his vacated seat. "I'll be fine, if you would like, go see Edward."

Jasper nodded and left the room. The only sounds in the room were the machines. I glanced at the heart monitor and frowned when the reading wasn't as good as Edward's. I closed my eyes in a short prayer that Emmett would make it out of this.

"I don't know how to start to thank you for saving my life. From the start of this you have been one of my strongest supporters. I don't know if you were driven by guilt, but Emmett, you saved mine and Masen's life. I will always be eternally grateful for that." I sniffled. I reached up and picked up his limp hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I don't hate you. I might have been upset and angry at you for sending back that letter, but I can't hate you for it. I realize you were trying to help, though misguided." I took a deep breath gathering my thoughts. I chewed on my lower lip.

Emmett had been hurting more than anyone realized. His mother left him. His father was an abusive asshole. Rose hurt him deeper than he was willing to admit. His grandmother, the woman who raised and loved him, had passed away. It wasn't that hard to see why he was trying to protect those he had left.

"I wish I knew about your parents, especially your mom. If anyone, I know what it is liked to be abandoned by your own mother. You were always everyone's rock, seemingly so strong on the outside. You have been there countless times for us." I said sadly then thought of one insistence in particular.

_I was stacking lanterns in the camping section when I felt as if I was being watched. I looked over my shoulder and spotted a man, probably in his thirties with greasy blonde hair in a ponytail._

"_May I help you, sir?" I forced a smile and asked. The man was creeping me out. I glanced around to see if anyone else was around. I spotted Emmett by the boots and caught his eye._

_The stranger leered at me, coming close enough that I could smell his stanky breath. "I need some help with the double-size sleeping bags, perhaps you can show me how they work, by joining me in one."_

"_I'm sorry, sir, but we don't offer that type of service here." I grimaced inwardly. _

"_I think you should change your policy." His eyes narrowed as he took a step forward._

_I stumbled backwards, tripping over a box. A pair of strong hands caught me. I glanced up and sighed in relief when I realized it was Emmett. _

"_I think you need to listen to her and back away." Emmett looked upset. He pulled me behind him, but him closer to the man. _

"_She's just playing hard to get, man." The sleazeball scoffed._

"_What is going to be hard is my fist connecting with your jaw, if you don't get the hell away from my sister." Emmett countered. "Now move on." _

_The man gave him a wary look and backed away. "The slut isn't worth it." He turned on his heels and started to leave. _

_I grabbed Emmett's elbow as he went after him. "Em, he's the one not worth it. He's just a jerk." _

"You have been a great friend, Emmett, don't ever doubt that. I'm sorry that in our anger that we did. It pains me to know how much hurt you've kept buried. Thank you for being there for me and the others." I gave his hand another squeeze. "Get better soon, though. You have a nephew who adores you. He would be devastated to lose you, we all will be. That goes for Edward too. He might have gotten angry with you, but I doubt he could ever hate you. He would want you to get better too." I stood and kissed the top of his head lightly.

**LB**

**EM POV (Ch. 20 conversation with Rose)**

I waited until the door closed behind them before turning back to Rose. She still was on the far side of the room. For the longest time I wanted to be mad at her and hate her.

But looking at her now, she was a far cry from the girl I knew in high school. She had always been thin, but she was almost sickly thin, like Bella had been when we first found her. Her skin was pale and her hair was flat. She was nervous and twitchy as she stood by the door.

"Rosie, take a seat." I gestured to a chair near the bed.

She looked at the seat, but remained still.

I sighed. "Unless, you want me to come over there."

She looked at me sharply. "You're not well enough to get out of bed. Stay there." She walked slowly over and sat in the seat gingerly.

"I don't hate you," I started.

She immediately blinked back some tears. "How could you not? I said horrible things to you. Hateful things." She shook her head.

"Did you mean any of them?" I asked.

"No. I was proud of you for wanting to be a Marine. I always knew you weren't the college type. But you were still doing something so dangerous and selfless for the good of other people. I admired that. You also had one of the biggest hearts that I knew. " She smiled weakly.

"Why didn't you just tell me, Rose? We could've gone to Chief Swan and gotten help." I coughed, causing my chest to hurt. I grabbed my water and took a sip.

"I was so confused and scared. But they threatened my mother, you and even your grandmother. I was so overwhelmed that I thought I was making the best decision for everyone at the time. I knew you would never agree with me. And I was concerned you may fly off the handle and kill Royce and only get yourself into trouble. If I could go back I would've told Royce and my father to fuck off." She was crying harder now.  
I handed her the box of hospital tissues. She took them and wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

"I did kill him. He was cocky son of a bitch, but a complete wussy. Now I wish I got a chance to torture him a bit, instead of the quick kill." I sneered.

She flinched. "I can't say I'm sorry that he's gone. The joke is on him, because now I'm his soul heir. I think I'll waste all his money on things that he hated." She smirked slightly.

"Was it you that took care of my grandmother when she was sick and she passed away?" I asked.

She nodded. "He said I could do whatever I wanted with his money, so I was able to help her the best I could. I'm sorry I couldn't save her."

"Thank you for what you did do." I gave a small smile. "Where is the fucker you call your father?"

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I think he's somewhere in Europe with his new wife. The girl is only a year old than me too." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Your parents split." I was surprised.

"Mom found out about what he did after my wedding. She was appalled that he pretty much sold me off. They were in the process of divorce when she died. She was actually heading to pick me up at my first rehab stay when she had a car accident." Her eyes dropped and she bit her lip.

"I'm sorry." I knew she had been close to her mom.

She shrugged and shook her head. "Her accident was ruled suspicious. That was another reason I was worried about reaching out to anyone else. I've been trying to keep on the right track, but I keep having setbacks."

"From what I hear, those setbacks aren't your fault." I pointed out.

There was a moment of silence. "You know, sometimes I wished I fought harder back then. I should've picked up something was wrong. One day you said you loved me then the next was a complete 180, and you were engaged to someone else." I played with the blanket on the bed. "But I guess Bells is right, we will drive ourselves nuts with would'ves and should'ves."

"She has been awfully forgiving for what she has been through. If anyone else besides you should hate me, it should be her." Rose smiled hesitantly.

"Yes, she has been forgiving. But she has always been caring. I'm glad Alec didn't ruin that. She has also done a wonderful job with that little boy. Masen is a cute kid." I smiled looking up at the balloon he brought me.

"He is a remarkable little boy. I just hope he hasn't been too traumatized and his nightmares go away." Rose agreed.

"He's been having nightmares?" I frowned. "Did he witness anything that night?" I was concerned for the little guy.

"I don't think so. He was in the safe room with Alice and slept through the whole thing. I think he was just upset that Edward got hurt and wasn't there when he woke up," she explained.

"Poor kid." I sighed. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?" Rose looked confused.

I reached for her hand. She hesitantly took it and I gave it a squeeze. "Us. I guess. I never got over you. I tried to fool myself and the others, by…I'm ashamed to say it, but a bit of a player. I wanted to forget you, but it didn't work."

"I think it would be best if we work on being friends before anything else." She looked nervous. "I still have a long way to go."

"I can deal with being friends first." I agreed.

Friends seemed to work for Bella and Edward. It was worth a shot. We talked a little more before the others came back.

**A/N:**

**Both outtakes were short so I posted them together. I won't be writing an outtake about the road trip at this time. Maybe once after the holidays settle down. The epilogue is already written so it should be posted on Friday.**

**Thank You For the Reviews**

**LB  
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Preview Alert**

**LB  
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**Preview:**

_**I tore open the paper and was confused at first by the baby book, since I already received one about Masen. I opened to the first page, and the first thing I noticed was a picture of a positive pregnancy test and date, written in pencil, that was in about eight months from now. I looked up at Bella and she was biting her lip.**_

"_**You're pregnant, love?" I asked the obvious. **_

_**She nodded blushing lightly, she looked very nervous for my response. I leaned over and kissed her lightly. **_

"_**Can we named the baby Grover?" Masen tugged on my sleeve.**_


	23. Epilogue

**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Epilogue:**

**15 years later…**

**(Epov)**

Today was the day that we would see Masen off. The last fifteen years have flown by. My little boy was now a man about to set off into the world. His asthma disappeared as he got older, so that was no longer a concern. He had decided at a very early age that he wanted to be a 'Maryanne' like his father and uncles. We still tease him to this day about it. Maybe it was unfair, since he was only three at the time, but we still found it funny.

After our tour of the states, we settled in near-by Jasper's family ranch. I went to work on the ranch, and Bella enrolled in some creative writing classes at a local college. We found a preschool that Masen loved and he made a ton of friends his age.

I glanced at my sleeping beauty, my beautiful wife, still curled in our bed, with the comforters wrapped around her tight. We have been married for just over fourteen years.

_It was our first Christmas Eve together as a family. We had moved into a four bedroom house about a month ago. We were still attending therapy sessions regularly as a family, about every other week, while Masen and Bella had weekly visits. Bella's and mine relationship was strong — maybe even stronger — than when we were in high school. We had several dates on top of family outings. The intimacy of our relationship has also reignited with a fiery passion. _

_I was hoping that the time was right, and I wasn't rushing this next step. I set the present on a branch in the tree and stepped back. Masen was watching me with wide-eyes._

"_Okay, little buddy, go get your mom." I winked at him. _

_He scurried out of the room as fast as his little legs could take him. "Mommy, it's time. You said, we could open present each. Come on, Mommy." I could hear him pleading with her._

"_I'm coming. I'm coming." She laughed. _

_They appeared with Masen pulling on her hand, while she was trying to carry a tray of hot chocolate and cookies. I jumped up and grabbed the tray from her. She gave me a shy smile. She was still looking pale and tired. She had gotten sick a few times over the past few days, and I was worried about her._

_I placed the tray on the table and pulled her into a hug. "Are you feeling better?" I asked kissing the top of her head._

_She didn't feel warm, but I was still worried about her._

"_Yes, the nap helped. Thank you for watching him." She took a seat on the couch. "Go ahead, Masen, what present would you like to open?" she asked._

"_You first," he insisted, dancing in front of her. _

_She looked at him in surprise. "Me first, are you sure?" _

"_Uh-huh." he nodded. He ran to the tree and back to her. "Your present is on the tree, you have to find it," he explained._

"_I have to find it?" She looked perplexed, she shot me a look. "What did you do?" _

"_You won't know until you find it." I shrugged. _

_She held my eye but I didn't give anything away. She got to her feet and circled the tree scanning it up and down. I knew she found it when she let out a small gasp. Her hand covered her mouth for a moment and tears came to her eyes. _

_We had come to a verbal agreement about getting married, shortly after Thanksgiving. She declared she didn't need a ring, that her promise ring was fine. But I still wanted to ask her more traditionally. _

"_Mommy, are you sad?" Masen was starting to look worried. _

_She shook her head and with a trembling hand tried to untie the string. I stood behind her patiently. "I can't get the knot," she admitted after a moment. _

_I reached over and untied the string, and caught the glittering ring in my hand. She slowly turned to me and looked me in the eye. _

_I knelt in front of her and took her left hand in mine. "Bella — my love, and the wonderful mother of my son — I love you more than anything. Thank you for the second chance you gave me when I didn't deserve it. The past few months have been the best I have had in years. And I hope for countless more years together, will you marry me?" I held my breath as I waited for her answer._

"_Yes," she whispered as she nodded. _

_I rose to me feet and kissed her chastely, well aware Masen had wrapped his arms around our legs. I brushed the tears away from her face and kissed her one more time. _

"_Thank you." I touched her forehead against mine, before I scooped Masen up._

"_Yay, do you like it? I helped daddy get you a ring. Isn't it pretty?" Masen reached for Bella's ring and touched a finger to it._

"_It's beautiful, thank you." She kissed his cheek before kissing mine._

"_Should I give Daddy his next?" She looked at Masen. _

_He nodded eagerly and wiggled to get down. "Can I get it?" he asked. _

_Bella nodded so he got on his hands and knees, and looked at all the present. He pulled out a flat one. "Is this it?" He looked at Bella._

"_Yup, that's it. Can you give it to him, please?" _

_He brought it over to me and handed me the present._

"_What is it?" I jokingly asked, trying to shake it. _

"_It's a…" _

_Bella covered his mouth quickly. She gave me a dirty look for trying to be sneaky._

_I tore open the paper and was confused at first by the baby book, since I already received one about Masen. I opened to the first page, and the first thing I noticed was a picture of a positive pregnancy test and date, written in pencil, that was in about eight months from now. I looked up at Bella and she was biting her lip._

"_You're pregnant, love?" I asked the obvious. _

_She nodded blushing lightly, she looked very nervous for my response. I leaned over and kissed her lightly. _

"_Can we name the baby Grover?" Masen tugged on my sleeve._

Needless to say Masen didn't get to name the baby. Vanessa Jean was almost fourteen years old now and will be a freshman in high school this fall. Bella became pregnant after a recall on her birth control. Since we thought we were covered, there was one morning in the shower I went without a condom. We found out about a week later about the recall. We had talked about more babies and getting married, I just didn't think it would happen so soon. I wouldn't change a thing though. Like I found her again, Vanessa was meant to come into our lives.

Two years after Vanessa, came Carlie May. Four years after her, Emily Samantha arrived. Masen and I were outnumbered in the gender department.

Even though his sisters drove him up the wall all the time — I knew he loved them, and would do anything for them.

Today, Bella worked from home, writing her own children book series. While at college she met Tia, an art student. They ended up collaborating together, and now Tia does all the art work for Bella's books. Tia and her husband Benjamin had two children of their own. Maggie was Masen's age and Seth was a year older than Vanessa. Bella and Tia used to joke all the time about our kids getting together.

So far they seemed right about Maggie and Masen. Or as his sisters tease him, M&amp;M. I caught a few looks that Seth has been given Vanessa recently, and had feeling they may not be too far behind, but figured I still had some time. But then Alice and Jasper hooked up when they were very young.

Speaking of Jasper and Alice, they still live on the ranch. Jasper now owns, and runs the ranch. Alice started up her own clothing line for clothes for ranchers. She still makes trips into Houston about bi-weekly.

They got married about a month after us. They have one son, Garrett, who was two months younger than Vanessa. He recently came out to us, and we have been as supportive as we could be.

Emmett's and Rose's relationship was rocky for a while. They broke up and got together again, before getting married ten years ago.

They tried for to have a baby on their own, but due to Rose's past they were unsuccessful. They ended up adopting their daughter, Claire, when she was two, and she was the same age as Emily.

**LB**

"Bella, love, we need to get up soon." I kissed her bare shoulder.

She mumbled and rolled over to face me. She blinked sleepily and yawned. "What time is it?" she asked snuggling into me.

"About 7:30. Masen needs to be at the bus at 11," I answered.

Her hands started to caress my chest. "I think I may need some help waking up." She grinned and kissed my jaw with a lingering kiss. Her hands slipped lower and grasped my cock.

I moaned and glanced towards the door. It has been a few years since the kids would just burst through our door without knocking. I felt her tug on my boxers freeing me. I rolled over on top of her and pulled off her nightgown. I made certain to appreciate all her womanly curves. She was still beautiful to me now, as she was when I first met her.

I slid into her, burying deep within her. Our bodies moved rhythmically together until we reached our peaks and I released into her. We stayed joined for a few minutes more as we caught our breaths.

"We should shower together and get downstairs, before the natives get restless." She sighed.

"Lead the way, pretty lady." I grinned.

She smiled and slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed swiftly behind watching her curves as she went. She turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. She stepped into the stream and tilted her head upwards. The water cascaded down her making me hard again. I stepped in behind her and pressed up against her. My hand slid around to her front and cupped her beautiful breasts in my hands. I gently squeezed and pressed into her and she moaned. She spun around and I lifted her so she could wrap her legs around me. I entered and pushed her lightly against the tiled wall. I thrusted into her, making her cry out in pleasure. I swallowed her moans with my mouth. In moments, she came again just before I did.

I set her on her feet and grabbed her body wash. After pouring some in my hands I washed her body tenderly. I paused when I got to her breasts noticing something I didn't before. Well, I had seen it before, three times to be exact, but it had been a few years. I looked up and made eye contact with Bella.

She bit her lip nervously, as she realized what I noticed.

"Bella, are you?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. "I only found out yesterday for sure. I haven't seen a doctor yet. I wanted to wait to make sure, since I'm older now," she answered. We tried for a while, but nothing happened. We finally decided to let nature take its course.

"Maybe this time we'll get another little boy." I kissed her. I reached over and turned off the water and grabbed a towel wrapping it around her.

"What's wrong with girls?" Bella pouted before smirking slightly. "Are you that sick of tea parties?" She laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with girls. I happened to love all my girls. I would just like the odds to be a little more even. Especially, with Masen leaving the coop." I grinned.

"You make it seem like we are torturing you. What are you afraid we are going do? Put you in a dress and make-up and call you Claudia?" she teased as she tossed a towel at me, hitting me in the face.

"Ha ha," I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. "I think we should tell the kids before Masen leaves."

She sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm just a little nervous to say anything, in case something happens," she agreed caressing her flat belly, lightly.

I leaned down and kissed it too.

"It won't. You're not that old." She scowled at me.

I shrugged sheepishly and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I'm sure they are all hungry." She headed back into our room.

**LB**

We entered the kitchen together for a nice surprise. Our kids were finishing making breakfast for us. Masen was flipping pancakes, while Vanessa was making scrambled eggs. Carlie was cutting up fruit and putting it into a large bowel. Emily was standing on a small stool and making the toast.

"Morning, what's all this," Bella looked teary-eyed.

"We're making breakfast, since they were hungry," Vanessa answered, she looked just like her mother. I knew it wouldn't be long before she will be dating, and I would be in trouble.

"Mornin', Daddy," my youngest called cheerfully.

"Morning, pumpkin. Do you need help?" I kissed the top of her reddish hair.

Her sisters were brunettes, like their mother, but Emily shared the same hair color as her brother and me. Hence, the nickname pumpkin.

"Nope, I got it." She insisted taking the butter knife back from me and continued to butter the bread. My baby girl was growing up, another reason I was glad another one was on the way.

We sat together at the table, with Bella and I on either end. Masen was to my left and Emily to my right. Vanessa was next to Masen and Carlie was across from her.

"Mommy, Daddy, Masen said you were showering together to conserve water," Emily commented innocently.

I nearly choked on a bit egg as I shot Masen a look. He shrugged and smirked, before grabbing his glass of juice.

"Yes, sweetie," Bella answered, her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Do you need to conserve water because Masen takes too long in his showers?" Emily asked.

Masen spat out his juice back into his cup, and Vanessa snorted hers as she started to laugh. It was my turn to laugh.

"Ewww, gross," Carlie wrinkled her nose glaring at her older siblings, wiping some juice off her hand. "Why is that so funny?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about," I intercede quickly but was still too late.

"Don't worry, Emily. Masen only uses cold water." Vanessa smirked.

"What the… Dad." Masen turned to me while red in the face.

I chuckled. "Sorry, son, I think I'll conserve my thoughts for now."

He glared at me and huffed.

"Vanessa, enough." Bella admonished our daughter. "Emily, eat please."

"I still feel like I'm missing something," Carlie pouted.  
"Don't worry about it and eat," Bella responded eating a slice of bacon.

Carlie still looked put out and suddenly lit up. "I'll tell you what I didn't miss." She smiled evilly, which could only lead to no good. "Masen practicing proposing to Maggie in his mirror."

Masen froze with his fork half-way to his mouth.

"Margret Anne Amun, I've loved you since I can remember. Will you do…"

I interrupted her, trying not to laugh at Masen's mortification. "Carlie May, that's enough."

She smirked but stopped. Vanessa was trying to hold in her laughter and almost choked on her eggs. Bella reached over and patted her on the back.

"You going to propose to Maggie?" Bella looked very emotional.

Masen shrugged sheepishly; the tips of his ear turned pink.

"I think that's sweet," Vanessa told him. "I can't wait until you have little tiny M&amp;Ms," she cooed.

Masen rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Little M&amp;Ms? Like the ones that come in the tubes." Emily looked confused.

Her sisters giggled and even Masen chuckled slightly.

"I think Vanessa is talking about babies." Bella smiled as she caught my eye.

"Speaking of babies." I cleared me throat.

Vanessa leaned over and smacked Masen.

"Ow, what was that for?" Masen scowled at her and rubbed his arm.

"Vanessa Jean, we don't hit in this house." Bella scolded her.

"Sorry, but tell me you're not proposing because you knocked her up?" Vanessa glared back at Masen.

"No, she's not pregnant," Masen answered.

"Then why are we talking about babies?" Carlie asked.

"You, guys are going to have another sister or brother," I explained as four pair of blinking eyes looked at me then at their mother.

"Mom, you're going to have a baby?" Masen asked, smiling.

Bella nodded in confirmation, her smiled was bright. Whenever I saw her smile like that I couldn't help but return it.

"I love babies." Emily bounced in her seat. "I can push her in my stroller."

We would have to explain later her new sibling won't be her doll.

"Aww, I think we should use the name Amber this time." Vanessa smiled.

"I like Catherine and we can call her Cat," Carlie spoke up.

"Those are horrible names for a boy." Masen scowled. "We need more guys around here. Mom needs to have a boy."

"Well don't look at mom, that's the dad's job, whether it is a boy or girl." Vanessa shot back.

"How…Why…" I started. I knew Bella had the sex talk with her. But I was surprised how much she knew.

"Y? So it is a boy." Masen quipped.

I shot him a look. "You need to stop hanging around your Uncle Emmett." I shook my head as he laughed.

"I don't get it." Carlie pouted again.

"Daddy is the one that plants the seed," Emily answered.

The conversation halted and we looked at her. As far as I knew Bella hadn't had the 'talk' with her — she was barely eight.

Noticing she had an audience, she continued. "There's two bags of seeds, a girl bag and a boy bag. The daddy takes the seed and plants it in the mommy. So, Daddy, what bag did you use?" Her green eyes looked up at me.

I looked at Bella for help, but she just grinned and blinked back.

"It was too dark to see, I guess it will be a surprise." I shifted uncomfortably.

My two oldest were trying to hold in their laughter as they stared at their plates. Even Bella had to cover her mouth and turn away.

"Enough for now. Emily, you and I can have a talk later about it. Right now, let's enjoy our last breakfast with your brother for a while." Bella ended the discussion finally.

"I don't want him to go." Emily started to cry. She has had a close bond with Masen ever since she was a baby.

"Aww, Emmy don't cry, sweetie. I'll come home to visit." Masen frowned, his face fell at his sister's tears. "Come here."

Emily got off her seat and ran to her brother. He pulled her into his lap and hugged her. "You're going to write me, right. And we can Skype. I promise." He smoothed her red hair.

"I'm going to miss you," Vanessa frowned and kissed his cheek.

"Who's going to practice football with me?" Carlie asked. She was our tomboy, and insisted on playing football. She was the only girl on her team.

"Seth said he would practice with you. I'm sure Garrett would too." Masen calmed her fears.

"Your uncles and I can always practice with you too." I promised her.

"Aww, Mom, not you too." Masen looked more upset. He still hated to see his mother cry for any reason.

She waved him off. "I'm okay. Excuse me." She got up from the table and left the room. I started to get up, but Masen beat me to it. He deposited his sister on my lap with a kiss to her head and followed his mom out of the room.

**LB**

We arrived at the bus stop about half-an-hour before he had to board. Masen had a large group there to support him. Besides us — was Maggie and her family, Jasper, Alice, Garrett, Emmett, Rose, Claire, and my parents.

My parents had moved down here about five years ago after my father retired. Bella and mom had eventually mended their relationship over the years. But it was never quite the same as it once was.

Masen started off saying good-bye to each one individually with Emily pretty much attached to his back like a spider monkey. He got his fist bumps from his uncles and hugs from his aunts, grandparents and cousins. He laughed at Emmett's 'Good luck in the Maryannes' sign, commenting that he was only three and to give him a break.

He hugged his sisters extra tight and made Carlie promise not to let any boys stop her from playing football.  
"Good luck, don't ever forget we love you and are proud of you." I hugged my son.

"Thank you, for everything." He hugged me back. I took the spider monkey off of his back and held her so he could say good-bye to his mom.

"I can't believe you are so grown-up. It seems like yesterday that you were carrying Grover and Hoppy Froggy Longlegs around the house, begging us to take you fishing." She brushed the hair from out of his eyes.

"Oh, I forgot." Emily wiggled out of my arms. We watched her run to the car and opened the back. She came running back a moment later. She held out his old super Grover to him. "I don't need him anymore to chase off bad dreams. You should take him with you." He squatted down, and took Grover from her.

"Thank you, sweetie." He hugged her again and kissed the top of her head.

He stood and hugged his mother as she tearfully made him promise to write as often as possible and to Skype.

"I love you, Mom." He hugged her tight, now towering over her height. "You take good care of my newest baby sibling. I want to know everything," he told her.

"I will." She promised, before reaching on her tip-toes to whisper in his ear. He nodded stepping back and taking a deep breath. He approached Maggie last. She stood there waiting patiently. She was a small redhead with blue eyes.

"I'm going to miss you. I better hear from you often," she whispered shyly.

He nodded and lifted her left hand and kissed it gently.

"Maggie, will you promise me something?" he asked.

"Anything." She smiled up at him.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

Her eyes widened and one hand went to her mouth.

"What?" She gasped clearly shocked.

Masen knelt on one knee in front of her.

"Will you, Margret Anne Amun, marry me?" he asked in a clear voice, looking up adoringly at her.

"Yes, of course, I will!" She squealed.

Masen leapt up and picked her up before kissing her in front of everyone. Once she was on her feet, he slid the ring on her finger. They kissed once more, passionately.

There was a quick around of congratulation and good-byes before Masen picked up his bag and headed for his bus. He turned on the steps and waved once, before going to find his seat.

I had one crying daughter hugging my leg as Bella hugged my side as she cried silently. We stood there as we watched the bus drive way.

"There he goes, he's all grown–up," she whispered.

He will always be that little boy on the couch to me. It had been fifteen years, but I clearly remember meeting him.

"_Mommy said that's why you never sawed me cause you were busy helping other people who needed you more. Mommy also said you lovid me, if you knew you were me…my daddy." He chewed on his lip looking up at me. _

"_Your mommy is right. I do love you. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner," I apologized with a sad smile, I felt tears in my eyes. Knowing that I had failed her and my son. _

"_Daddy," Masen crawled closer so he could whisper in my ear, "My mommy needs a hero. Mr. Alec is meaner than Oscar. He gets mad at her a lot."_

"Now it his turn to be a hero fighting the Oscars of the world." I kissed the top of Bella's head.

"He's just like his father that way." Bella looked up at me with love.

"Mom, can I go to the movies with Seth and Maggie?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure sweetheart, be back for dinner."

"Can I come?" Carlie asked.

Vanessa shrugged and looked at us.

"What movie?" Bella asked, once we heard the title we gave Carlie the go ahead.

"What about me?" Emily looked left out.

"We were going to take Claire for ice cream. Can Emily join us?" Rose asked softly.

"That's sounds great." We watched as our family and friends depart.

"We are all alone," Bella sighed.

"Well not completely," I rubbed her belly.

She grinned and covered my hand with hers.

"We should take advantage of our empty house. Have more repeats of this morning." She turned and wrapped herself around me.

I scooped her up in my arms. "I love the thought of that." I kissed her lightly, and carried her to our car.

**LB**

Eight months later Austin Carlisle entered our lives; five hours after his older brother's wedding.

**The End**

**A/N: Thank you for all those who have read and those who have reviewed my story. This story has been in my head for a while and I'm glad I finally got to write again. **

**There will be more for me in the future. Look for me to post my submission to The Mistletoe Contest this weekend. It's ready to go, I just need the go ahead. There may be a couple chapters that extend it. **

**I have more stories ahead. I think I will be returning to vampward though. I have three stories in my head and all three involve him being a vampire. **

**Thank You All Again!**

**Happy Holidays!**


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